THE BIONIC EAR INSTITUTE

Transcription

THE
BIONIC EAR
INSTITUTE
07 08
22nd Annual Report
2007-2008
384-388 Albert Street
East Melbourne Victoria 3002 Australia
T +61 3 9667 7500 F +61 3 9667 7518
E enquiries@bionicear.org
W www.bionicear.org
ABN 56 006 580 883
ACN 006 580 883
Design Nuttshell Graphics
OUR VISION
OUR MISSION
OUR VISION
The Bionic Ear Institute will become the world’s
pre-eminent Medical Bionics Institute.
CONTENTS
OUR MISSION
We will bring together talented and focussed
people in a multidisciplinary research environment,
encompassing the biological, physical, engineering
and clinical sciences. We will capture the
imagination of Australia’s brightest students and
reinvigorate our community’s passion for science.
We will inspire the next generation of researchers
by having a unique program that provides an
exciting pathway from secondary school, through
university and into postgraduate research. We
will focus on the pursuit of fundamental science
and work in collaboration with commercialisation
partners to ensure our scientific developments lead
to commercially viable products and services that
will improve the health of Australians.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
2
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
3
RESEARCH REPORT Bionic Ear and Beyond
Drug Delivery Systems
Bionic Eye
Intelligent Implants and
Neurological Applications
Bionic Technologies Australia
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7
19
24
PUBLICATIONS 30
EDUCATION
36
SUPPORTING OUR RESEARCH 38
BOARD MEMBERS
40
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
41
STAFF MEMBERS
42
TREASURER’S REPORT
44
SUMMARISED FINANCIAL REPORT
45
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
47
HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT
THE BIONIC EAR INSTITUTE?
48
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BEI ANNUAL REPORT 07-08
1
CHAIRMAN’S
REPORT
WELCOME TO THE BIONIC EAR INSTITUTE’S
22ND ANNUAL REPORT
This year has been one of many important accomplishments.
Our dedicated multidisciplinary research teams have made
significant steps towards translational research advances
so that laboratory-based discoveries will result in applicable
health solutions. In collaboration with our research partners,
we have continued to achieve beneficial outcomes in the core
area of fundamental hearing research as well as in the broader
medical bionics field. Significantly, initial advancements have
been made in the development of a Bionic Eye which will
potentially be capable of restoring reading vision to those
with vision impairment. Research encompassing intelligent
implants for the central nervous system has progressed
well with the aim of developing innovative bionic devices
that can deliver an appropriate treatment for conditions such
as epilepsy and spinal cord injury.
The Bionic Ear Institute’s commitment to establishing a
pre-eminent Medical Bionics Institute has continued this
year with an extensive effort spent in planning for the
implementation of this vision. Our vision is supported by
our core research partner - The University of Melbourne
and is strengthened by the Institute’s broad collaborative
partnerships, which include: National ICT Australia;
St Vincent’s Hospital (Melbourne), Royal Victorian Eye
and Ear Hospital; the Centre for Eye Research Australia;
The University of NSW; University of Wollongong; CSIRO,
Hear and Say Centre - Queensland; Bionic Technologies
Australia; Cochlear Ltd; The Hearing Cooperative Research
Centre and Living Cell Technologies.
The inaugural Bionic Ear Institute Scientific Advisory
Committee (SAC) meeting held in May assisted the Director
and the Board in setting and reviewing both strategic and
research directions of the Institute. The SAC commended
the BEI staff, highlighting that their commitment and
quality are the main assets of the Institute. On the
recommendation of the SAC, plans are now in place to:
implement mechanisms to improve funding outcomes;
2
instigate a flexible structure of project leadership to enhance
imaginative science; ensure high recruitment standards and
ongoing professional support to enhance the retention of
staff. We thank the Bionic Ear Institute Scientific Advisory
Committee for their timely review.
I am pleased to report that in November 2008, The Bionic
Ear Institute will be hosting the inaugural conference
‘Medical Bionics - a new paradigm for human health’. This
is an important global conference and considerable effort
has gone into organising this event, with the ultimate aim
of bringing together researchers from varied disciplines
to support the creation of innovative health solutions with
medical bionic devices.
I thank Professor Rob Shepherd for his excellent leadership
and congratulate the Institute’s wonderful staff, and my fellow
Directors for their achievements and contribution to the
growth of the Institute over the last twelve months. I would
particularly like to commend Dr Ben Wei who received the
2008 Premiers Award for Health and Medical Research.
I acknowledge the valued support of our donors, ambassadors,
volunteers, corporate and community supporters without
whose help we could not achieve our medical research
outcomes. I also thank Rotary International District 9790 and
Woodards Real Estate who have worked hard throughout
the year to promote the Institute and raise funds towards
our medical research.
On behalf of my Board colleagues I thank all our supporters
who make the important work of our researchers possible.
Gerry Moriarty AM
FTSE, FIEAust FAICD
Chairman
DIRECTOR’S
REPORT
Medical bionics is the replacement, enhancement or
monitoring of damaged organs through engineered devices
that interface with the human body. The Bionic Ear Institute
(BEI) is building on its strength encompassing decades of
multidisciplinary research experience in the field of cochlear
implants and is focussing its research in four key research
areas aiming to produce new medical bionic devices. These
key areas include: a Bionic Eye; nanotechnology based
targeted drug delivery systems; intelligent brain implants
and high fidelity Bionic Ears. The research required to
achieve these goals is complex and specialised; whilst we
bring a number of important platform technologies to these
projects we recognise that the goals will only be achieved
with effective collaborative partnerships across a number
of disciplines. The BEI has achieved outstanding results this
year, making significant advancement in research, in forging
relationships with key partners, achieving significant grant
success from peer-reviewed funding bodies, government
and the philanthropic community.
Research
Quality peer-reviewed publications are the hallmark of any
dynamic research institute as they reflect our contribution to
knowledge in our fields of research. Collectively, one book
chapter and 32 peer-reviewed journal articles were published
by Institute staff and students over the last
12 months. In particular I would like to highlight Dr Ben
Wei’s research letter which was published in the medical
journal The Lancet in September 2007. The Lancet is one
of the oldest peer-reviewed medical journals in the world,
with a large readership. The article, co-authored with
Prof. Stephen O’Leary and Prof. Richard Dowell, and titled
“Cochlear implantation: one or two?” was an analysis of
the additional benefits provided by two cochlear implants
over implantation of one ear only. I am pleased to report
that 11 invited papers were delivered by BEI staff at
conferences over the past 12 months. In addition to these
invited presentations Institute staff contributed to more
than 40 conference proceedings over the year. These
publications and presentations are described in detail in
our publications section.
The Bionic Ear Institute in conjunction with the Medical
Research Council Institute of Hearing Research in the UK
held a very successful conference at Lorne in July 2007
to honour the retirement of Professor Dexter Irvine. The
conference was attended by approximately 85 national and
international delegates. I am delighted to report that Prof.
Irvine continues his research and mentoring activities at the
BEI in a part-time capacity.
The Bionic Ear Institute is honoured to host the inaugural
conference ‘Medical Bionics - a new paradigm for human
health’ in November 2008. Senator Kim Carr, Minister for
Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, announced
the conference to 60 guests at a special launch event.
This conference will bring together a wide range of eminent
and early career researchers working in the diverse field of
medical bionics. Although they will travel from all regions
of the world and bring expertise from disciplines as diverse
as biotechnology, engineering, ICT, polymer science,
nanotechnology and medicine, there will be one aim that
unites all those attending the conference - to search for
solutions to the human health challenges of the future.
This conference is part of the Sir Mark Oliphant Conferences
– International Frontiers of Science and Technology and is
supported by the Australian Academy of Science and the
Australian Government, Department of Education Science
and Training.
Relationships
The Bionic Ear Institute places upmost importance on
the relationship with its research collaborators. These
partnerships will continue to result in quality research
outcomes resulting in innovative health solutions and
commercialisation opportunities. The University of
Melbourne is a core partner in the Institute’s research,
more specifically the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and
Life Sciences and the School of Engineering. St Vincent’s
Hospital (Melbourne) is our core clinical partner including
the Centre for Neurosciences and Neurological Research.
Our other collaborators include: National ICT Australia;
Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital; the Centre for
Eye Research Australia; Graduate School of Biomedical
Engineering-University of NSW; Intelligent Polymer
Research Institute-University of Wollongong; CSIRO
- Divisions of Molecular and Health Technologies and
Textile and Fibre Technology and the Hear and Say Centre Queensland. Our commercialisation collaborators include:
Bionic Technologies Australia; Cochlear Ltd; The Hearing
Cooperative Research Centre and Living Cell Technologies.
The Institute will continue to develop a growing network
of collaborations both within Australia and internationally.
3
Premier John Brumby with Dr Ben Wei,
winner of the 2008 Premier’s Award for
Health and Medical Research
Presentations & Awards
Our staff and students continue to be recognised by their
peers for research excellence. Over the past year the
following individuals were honoured:
• Professor Graeme Clark AC was awarded the Klaus
Joachim Zülch Prize, on August 31, 2007, in Cologne,
Germany. The Zülch Prize, Germany’s highest honour
for neurological research is bestowed by the Gertrud
Reemtsma Foundation through the Max Planck Society,
is awarded annually to two scientists for outstanding
achievements. Professor Clark has shared the award,
along with a prize of 50,000 Euros, with US researcher
John P. Donoghue for his research in technologies to
enable severely paralysed people to use thought alone
to operate a variety of assistive devices, such as a
computer cursor and a wheelchair.
• Dr Ben Wei received the 2008 Premiers Award for
Health and Medical Research. In conjunction with
the Premier’s Award for Health and Medical Research,
the Jack and Robert Smorgon Families Award was
presented to The Bionic Ear Institute.
• Dr. Bryony Coleman was awarded one of six Victoria
Fellowships in 2007 which enabled her to complete
an advanced training course in human stem cell culture
before visiting the Harvard Stem Cell Institute in Boston
and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. More
recently, Dr Coleman was awarded The University of
Melbourne Dean’s Award for excellence in a PhD thesis.
• Prof. Anthony Burkitt delivered his inaugural lecture
as the Chair of Bio-Signals and Bio-Systems at the
Melbourne Engineering Research Institute (MERIT).
The lecture was entitled “Bridging engineering &
neuroscience: the restoration of impaired neural
function”. At this lecture Professor Burkitt outlined his
research vision: a program that encompasses cochlear
implants, retinal implants, neural modelling, and
epilepsy. I congratulate Tony on his appointment and
am delighted that he will continue his role as Assistant
Director of the BEI in a part-time capacity.
• Prof. Stephen O’Leary delivered his inaugural lecture
as the William Gibson Chair of Otolaryngology, The
University of Melbourne at the Royal Australasian
College of Surgeons. I congratulate Stephen on
his appointment; I look forward to our continued
collaboration with his research team in the future.
• Sean Byrnes was awarded the Institute’s Harold
Mitchell Post Doctoral Fellowship. Sean attended
the Computational Neuroscience Meeting 2008 in
4
Portland, Oregon. Jacqueline Andrew was awarded the
BEI’s Harold Mitchell Postgraduate Student Travelling
Fellowship. Jacqueline attended the 45th Inner Ear
Biology Workshop in Ferrara, Italy. Both winners also
visited a number of laboratories during their travels.
• At The University of Melbourne, Department of Electrical
and Electronic Engineering’s Endeavour 2007 project
exhibition, David Perry was awarded “The Mathworks
Prize for Best Final Year Project” for his project entitled
“Research Cochlear Implant for Small Laboratory
Animals”. David first joined the BEI in 2005 under the
supervision of Dr James Fallon as a UROP student.
David is continuing his involvement with the Institute
as a PhD candidate for the next few years.
• Jacqueline Andrew’s entry in the 2007 New Scientist
Eureka Prize for Science Photography was selected as
one of the top 25 entries, and as such was included in
an Exhibition that opened at the Australian Museum on
1 August 2007 before travelling to venues around
Australia until July 2008.
I would like to congratulate all our awardees and their
mentors for their outstanding achievements during the year.
Research Funding
Our long standing relationship with the National
Institutes of Health (USA) continues with the success of
another funding application investigating “The effects of
intracochlear electrical stimulation on neural survival and
connectivity” (HHS-N-263-2007-00053-C). The 5 year grant
of US$2,940,000 was awarded to the Institute and will
involve researchers from the BEI and the Department of
Otolaryngology, The University of Melbourne. The contract
also extends our collaborative links with Prof. David Ryugo
from Johns Hopkins University and provides funding
for Prof. Remy Pujol from the University of Montpellier
to work with us in Melbourne. Consultants from the
Institute, University of Melbourne and Cochlear Ltd will also
contribute to this research. In addition, Dr Justin Tan was
awarded a Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial
Foundation project grant, entitled ”Identifying neurotrophin
processing as a potential target to treat sensorineural
hearing loss”.
A number of trusts and foundations continue to provide
important ongoing support for our research projects
this year. The total commitment of funds was just over
$2 million. I would like to convey my personal thanks to
these trusts and foundations for their ongoing support
of the Institute’s research. They are specifically thanked
in the acknowledgements section of this annual report.
The Schauder family, volunteers at
the Point Nepean Music Festival
The philanthropic sector plays a vital role in funding medical
research in Australia and we are most grateful to be able
to apply these funds to our research. I would also like to
acknowledge the Victorian State Government for their
generous support through a State Operational Infrastructure
Support Grant. This funding has allowed the Institute to
support our research and research staff and in doing so,
begin to future proof Australia’s position as a leader in
medical bionics.
Donors, Ambassadors, Volunteers and Corporate
and Community Supporters
I would like to thank all our individual donors and supporters
for their commitment and generosity. I am also extremely
grateful to our corporate partners, Macquarie Group,
Principals, Woodards Real Estate, and Corporate Image.
Without this support we would not be able to continue or
initiate new research projects.
Each year we receive wonderful support from our
ambassadors and volunteers and I would like to thank them
for their help over the past year. In addition to spending
many hours as research volunteers and speaking to
community groups to promote the Institute, our volunteers
help by initiating fundraising and support events.
A special note of thanks to our volunteers and supporters,
including some of our dedicated staff members who joined
me giving up their valuable leisure time over the Easter
weekend. Your presence at our exhibit and amongst the crowds
at the Point Nepean Music Festival was greatly appreciated.
The end of 2007 was saddened by the passing of Rod
Saunders. In 1978, Rod Saunders was the first person in
the world to be implanted with a multichannel cochlear
implant and worked with Prof. Clark’s team for many years
as an honorary research subject. We are indebted to Rod’s
generosity and willingness to be involved in research
together with the warmth and friendship he brought to the
precinct over nearly three decades.
Our Board and Staff
I would like to acknowledge the Institute’s Board of
Directors, led by our Chairman Gerry Moriarty. The Board has
made an outstanding contribution to The Bionic Ear Institute,
through leadership, governance, passion for our expansion
strategy, personal support and through their enthusiastic
promotion of our organisation. We are very fortunate and
proud to have such a group of talented and enthusiastic
individuals leading the Institute. I would particularly like to
highlight the significant contribution of our tireless Chairman
Gerry Moriarty for his leadership in articulating the Institute’s
vision for expansion to our government, research and
philanthropic stakeholders. I would like to acknowledge the
continued significant contributions from my Executive team
of Tim Griffiths, Professor Anthony Burkitt, Linda Peterson
and Peter Gover; and the senior research group of Professor
Anthony Burkitt, Professor Mark Cook, Associate Professor
Rob Kapsa, Professor Stephen O’Leary and Associate
Professor Tony Paolini.
A sincere thank-you to all our staff; the quality of your
work is the foundation of the Institute. Providing support
to our staff is strongly valued at the BEI and I would like
to acknowledge the implementation of the BEI mentoring
program, and extend thanks to Susanne Clarke, Helen
Woods and Linda Peterson for their efforts in developing
a successful program.
The BEI is committed to maintaining the highest standards
as a medical research institute. I would like to thank all
members of the Scientific Review Committee for their
time and valuable contribution. The Scientific Review
committee was composed of: Professor Iven Mareels
(Chair) Dean, School of Engineering, The University
of Melbourne; Professor Hugh McDermott Professor
of Auditory Communication and Signal Processing,
Department of Otolaryngology, The University of Melbourne;
Dr. Calum Drummond Chief of CSIRO Materials Science
and Engineering; Dr. Annabelle Duncan Director, Science
Collaboration for the new Bioscience Research Centre,
La Trobe University and Victorian Department of Primary
Industries; and Associate Professor Jim Patrick, Chief
scientist, Cochlear Limited.
The Coming Year
The Institute has worked on an extensive rebranding
process resulting in a new name and new Institute brand
which will reflect the broader focus of our research
direction; we hope to be able to announce this new name
in the near future. The Institute has continued to pursue
excellence in medical research by fostering an organisational
culture built around the nurturing of scientific excellence
and our vision to translate our research into improved health
outcomes. This vision is driven by our staff, the Board of
the Institute; our research collaborators and our many
corporate and individual supporters. The coming year will
be both exciting and challenging as we embark on achieving
our vision of becoming “the world’s pre-eminent Medical
Bionics Institute”. I look forward to working with you to
achieve this vision
Professor Robert K Shepherd
BSc, DipEd, PhD
Director
5
RESEARCH
REPORT
LI AND SOPHIE
Profoundly deaf from birth, Sophie Li had her first cochlear implant at
four years of age and her second when she was fourteen. Her father,
Li Cunxin, is a board director at the Institute.
6
BIONIC
EARS AND
BEYOND
THE EFFECTS OF INTRACOCHLEAR
ELECTRICAL STIMULATION ON NEURAL
SURVIVAL AND CONNECTIVITY
The overall objectives of the NIH funded contract (HHSN-263-2007-00053-C) are to develop techniques that
employ intracochlear electrical stimulation (ICES) and
drug administration which can support neural survival
and function in order to improve the quality of auditory
perception from a multichannel cochlear implant (Bionic
Ear). Our goals are threefold; to study the effects of ICES
on the developing auditory system for subjects implanted
at a young age in order to minimize any delay in auditory
stimulation; to examine the effects of ICES on the auditory
system over a lifetime of use; and to evaluate the response
of the auditory system in adult onset deafness to ICES,
and the effect of duration of deafness, using functional,
anatomical and behavioral measures.
To achieve these goals we use a systems approach across
a number of sub disciplines of neurobiology including
electrophysiological, behavioral and neuroanatomical /
molecular biological techniques. We have divided our
approach into two broad areas of research:
a) Chronic stimulation studies investigating the trophic
and plastic response of the deafened auditory pathway
to chronic ICES. Studies in this area focus on the role
of ICES in shaping both the developing and the mature
auditory system. Key outcomes will be a deeper
understanding of the effects of ICES on both the
spatial and temporal processing ability of the auditory
system, and the interaction of these effects with the
preceding state of the auditory pathway (i.e. the
duration of deafness and developmental state of the
auditory pathway).
b) Neurotrophin (NT) studies investigating the trophic
and plastic response of the deafened auditory
pathway to spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) rescue via
ICES and exogenous neurotrophin delivery. The role
of exogenous NTs in the rescue of SGN has been well
established; therefore, studies in this area focus on
developing and using delivery techniques we consider
to have potential clinical application. Additionally, we
will determine the effects of NT delivery and SGN
rescue on the spatial and temporal processing ability
of the central auditory system.
A major objective of this work is to apply our findings to
the clinical environment. Therefore, while these studies
are designed to provide insight into the effects of ICES on
neural survival and connectivity across a range of etiologies
and animal species, we will be using techniques that are
clinically relevant whenever possible.
The effects of temporally challenging ICES on the
deafened auditory pathway
The rat provides a useful model to study the effects of
temporally challenging ICES on the adult deafened auditory
pathway. The small size of the rat cochlea limits the number
of intra-cochlea electrodes that can be inserted atraumatically,
therefore focusing these studies on the effects of
temporally challenging ICES on the temporal processing
throughout the central auditory pathway. This is assessed
using both electrophysiological and behavioral measures.
This research is supported by the US National Institutes
of Health Contract (HHS-N-263-2007-00053-C). The team
includes University of Melbourne PhD Student David
Perry (supported by a Melbourne Research Scholarship),
Mr Rodney Millard, Dr James Fallon, Prof. Rob Shepherd
(The Bionic Ear Institute) and Prof. Hugh McDermott
(The University of Melbourne).
7
The application of a Bionic Ear in small animal models
Mutations in specific genes account for approximately 50%
of childhood deafness. In the past decade, deafness genes
in mouse mutants have been identified, providing a platform
to study the mechanisms of genetically based deafness in
humans. We are seeking to determine whether the auditory
systems of these mice have a common cellular and molecular
mechanism underlying their deafness and how these
compare to the pathologies seen clinically. We are also
developing the procedures and techniques to provide chronic
ICES in these models to determine if ICES can reverse the
deafness-associated pathologies seen in these animals.
This research is supported by the US National Institutes of
Health Contract (HHS-N-263-2007-00053-C) and additional
funding from a Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital research
grant. The team includes TWJ Visiting Research FellowDr Matthew Trotter, Dr Andrew Wise, Dr Jin Xu, Mr Rodney
Millard, Ms Helen Feng, Ms Alison Evans, Dr James Fallon,
Prof. Rob Shepherd (The Bionic Ear Institute).
The plastic effects of a Bionic Ear on the developing
nervous system
This work addresses the question of whether chronic
ICES alone, via a cochlear implant, can prevent SGN
degeneration. Additionally, the question of the effects of
chronic ICES on the developing nervous system; the effects
of early vs late intervention for subjects deafened at a
young age; and the effects of early intervention for subjects
deafened as adults will be addressed.
Micro-focus image of mouse stimulator showing the
fully inserted electrode array in left cochlea of an
experimental mouse.
Deaf animals are implanted with our standard intracochlear
electrode arrays and extracochlear ball electrode. We
currently, have animals receiving chronic ICES in two
groups, low-rate and delayed intervention. Animals in
the group receive low-rate (50 pps/electrode) monopolar
stimulation on all 7 intracochlear electrodes using the
SPEAK® speech processing strategy to assess the effects
of stimulation rate on the plastic reorganisation of the
auditory pathway. Animals in the delayed group will begin
their stimulation regime at an age that mimics the effects
of late implantation in adult patients. Previous studies
have shown that chronic ICES was able to prevent some
of the atrophy in the antero-ventral cochlear nucleus (the
first auditory relay centre in the brain) caused by long-term
deafness; however, it was not able to be maintained
to the same level seen in the normal hearing controls.
includes Dr James Fallon, Prof. Dexter Irvine, Ms Alison
Evans, Ms Meera Ulaganathan, Mr Michael Giummarra,
Dr Andrew Wise, Dr Jin Xu, Mr Rodney Millard, Ms Helen
Feng and Prof. Rob Shepherd (The Bionic Ear Institute).
8
Area (mm2)
Area (mm2)
30
20
10
0
0
2
4
6
Stimulus Level (dB re min Cortical Threshold)
8
A Long-term
Normal Hearing
B
Deaf
C Chronically Stimulated
20
20
20
10
10
10
5
0
2
4
6
22
4
66
Stimulus
Level (dB re 4min Cortical Threshold)
Stimulus
Stimulus Level
Level (dB
(dB re
re min
min Cortical
Cortical Threshold)
Threshold)
25
00
10
8
88
10
0
8
8
)
old)
2
Area (mm
) (mm3)
Volume
20
10
2
4
6
8
2
4
6
8
8
Stimulus Level (dB re min
Normal
DeafCortical Threshold) Stimulated
0
D
CG
MP
Area (mm2)
20
15
10
5
8
0
0
8
CG
MP
6
20
p= .008
15
4
10
2
5
5
25
8
p= .005
25
15
0
0 0
0
2
4
6
.001
Stimulus Levelp<
(dB
re min Cortical Threshold)
Normal
Deaf
Stimulated
0
8
30
10
PlasticVolumes
changes within the auditory pathway
AVCN
D
CG
MP
20
Area (mm2)
Area (mm2)
Area (mm2)
20
10
10
B Long-term
Deaf
C DChronically Stimulated
30
15
20
0
00
0
00
8
A) The extent of cortical activation increases as
the common ground (CG) stimulus level on a single
intracochlear electrode (E1) is increased from the
30
minimum cortical threshold to supra-threshold levels,
the extent of cortical activation in a normal hearing
20
animal monotonically increases. Insets show a 7 x 5 mm
10
region of the cortex, activated with varying currents
indicated by the arrows. B) & C) A similar increase in
0
the extent of cortical activation with increasing
0
2
4
6
8
stimulus level
is seen for stimulation in a long-term
deaf animal (B) and a chronically stimulated animal
(C). D) Stimulation at 2 dB above minimum cortical
B DLong-term
Deaf in a more restricted activation
threshold resulted
25 in normal hearing animals than long-term deaf or
CG
chronically
stimulated animals. There was no difference
MP
20
in
the
activated
area between different stimulating
30
electrodes or modes of stimulation. * p < 0.001
Area (mm2)
Area (mm2)
2 2 2
Area
(mm
Area
Area
(mm
(mm
)) )
30
30
30
old)
)
Plastic changes
B Long-term
Deaf within the auditory cortex
A Normal Hearing
Normal
Deaf
Stimulated
8
00
0
Normal Hearing Stim. Left Unstim. Control
Normal
Deaf
AVCN Treatments
Deaf
Stimulated
8
Mean Antero ventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) volumes
(green), deaf/chronically stimulated (stimulated = blue;
unstimulated = gold) and long-term deaf (red) subjects.
Statistics obtained by One-way ANOVA, Holm-Sidak Post
Hoc. Statistical significance is indicated by the lines
above the bars. Error bars represent SEM’s. The left
AVCN of the stimulated group is significantly greater
than both the right AVCN (p=0.008) and the deaf
controls (p=0.005). Both deaf and stimulated groups
were significantly lower than the normal hearing
subjects (p<0.001).
9
Function of the auditory nerve in deafened and
neurotrophin treated cochleae
We are exploring a new method of delivering neurotrophic
factors to the cochlea in combination with electrical stimulation
(ES) via a cochlear implant. We believe that this research
project constitutes a major step towards the implementation
of new techniques to restore hearing to deaf people.
The specific aims of this project are to:
50mV
• Determine whether neurotrophins will promote auditory
neuron survival in a long-term chronically implanted
deafened model.
10ms
Auditory nerve response to electrical stimulation
Recordings from a single auditory nerve fibre in
response to electrical stimulation. This technique will
allow us to study the functional changes of the auditory
nerve response following a sensorineural hearing loss
and long term neurotrophin treatment in combination
with a Bionic Ear.
The anatomy of deafness
A. Example of a 12µm frozen section from a normal
cochlea. The Organ of Corti is visible showing the three
outer hair cells and one inner hair cell. The peripheral
processes of the auditory neurons can also be seen.
B. This section shows the spiral ganglion neuron (SGN)
cell bodies within Rosenthals’ canal in a normal cochlea.
The cell bodies occupy most of the fluid-filled space
within Rosenthals canal.
C. This section shows Rosenthals’ canal in a deaf
cochlea that had received chronic electrical stimulation
(ES) for a period of 6 months. There is a substantial
decrease in the number of surviving SGNs when
compared to the normal cochlea.
10
• Determine whether neurotrophin treatment in
combination with a clinical implant, is effective in
promoting auditory neuron survival in a long-term
deafened model.
• To examine the electrophysiological function of auditory
neurons treated with neurotrophins and cochlear implants.
The research team includes Dr Andrew Wise, Prof. Robert
Shepherd, Dr James Fallon, Ms Jacqueline Andrew,
Dr Jin Xu, Ms Helen Feng, Ms Alison Evans, Mr Tom Landry
and Ms Meera Ulaganathan. The project is supported by a
project grant from The Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams
Memorial Foundation and the US National Institutes of
Health contract (HHS-N-263-2007-00053-C).
The effects of neurotrophins and ICES on the spatial
and temporal processing ability of the brain
The pro-survival effects of neurotrophin delivery (with or
without ICES) following aminoglycoside-induced deafening
are well established. What are less clear are the effects of
neurotrophin delivery with different deafness pathologies
and the effects of neurotrophin delivery and ICES on
the spatial and temporal processing ability of the central
auditory system.
It has been shown that there is profuse dendritic
resprouting following aminoglycoside-induced deafening and
neurotrophin delivery; however the consequences of this
resprouting on the functional cochleotopic organization of
the central auditory system are unclear. We have developed
single SGN peripheral fibre tracing techniques using the
tracer tetramethylrhodamine dextran (TMRD) to determine
the extent of aberrant peripheral fibre regrowth following
neurotrophin and / or ICES treatment. We have also begun
recording high-resolution spatial response intensity images
from multi-channel multi-unit data recorded across the
central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) in response to
acute intracochlear electrical stimulation. These experiments
will allow us to study the effects of the resprouting from
both anatomical and functional perspectives and are vital
experiments to be performed before neurotrophins are
considered for any clinical application.
includes University of Melbourne PhD student Mr Tom
Landry, Dr Andrew Wise, Dr James Fallon, Ms Helen Feng
and Prof. Rob Shepherd. Tom Landry is supported by the
The Bartholomew Reardon PhD Scholarship (The Bionic
Ear Institute).
Cochlear sections following pressure injection of TMRD
into the guinea pig auditory nerve. Midmodiolar sections
of the upper basal turn are shown in a and b. Peripheral
fibres can be seen at the OC (arrows), and passing
through the OSL (arrowheads). The selective labeling of
SGN somata within RC can be seen in a. Peripheral SGN
fibers at the OC in a basal turn wholemount are shown
in c (arrow). OC = organ of Corti, OSL = osseous spiral
lamina, RC = Rosenthal’s canal, ST = scala tympani.
Scale bars = 20 μm.
Spatial response intensity images from a deaf guinea
pig for each of the adjacent bipolar electrode pairs of
an acutely implanted 6-electrode cochlear implant.
E12 indicates bipolar stimulation (100 µs/phase; 50 µs
inter-phase gap) between electrode 1 (the most apical
electrode) and electrode 2. The best electrode tuning
to each electrode (seen as “V” shape) is seen to move
to deeper IC locations with more basal stimulation
sites, illustrating the cochleotopic organisation of
the implanted cochlea. The response threshold also
increases at more basal stimulation sites.
11
Molecular analysis of synaptic plasticity changes in
the auditory cortex
The main principle of cochlear implants involves functional
electrical stimulation of the primary auditory neurons to
restore activity to a sensory-deprived auditory system.
This strategy has successfully restored hearing to many
patients with severe to profound hearing loss. The molecular
mechanisms which drive these changes remain unclear. The
increased metabolic activity in the auditory cortex of deaf
humans after cochlear implantation suggests that neural
activity might be a crucial link. Neural activity modulates the
maturation of synapses and their organisation into functional
circuits by regulating activity-dependent signaling pathways.
Phosphorylation of cAMP/Ca2+-responsive element
binding protein (CREB) is widely accepted as an activitydependent event. In turn, phosphorylated CREB activates
the transcription of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
which is needed for synaptic transmission and long-term
potentiation. We examined how these molecular events are
influenced by re-activation via cochlear implants.
Hearing impaired rats were unilaterally implanted with
an intracochlear electrode array and received 3 hours
of electrical stimulation/day over a 7 week period. This
chronic paradigm was compared with an acute paradigm
where hearing impaired rats were stimulated for 3 hours
only. Biochemical techniques were used to examine gene
expression changes in the auditory cortex.
Effects of cochlear implants on plasticity genes in the brain
Long-term electrical stimulation by cochlear implants
dramatically elevated the expression of phosphorylated
CREB and BDNF in auditory cortical neurons. A greater
proportion of these neurons also showed an increased
expression of voltage-gated sodium channels. Neural activity
contributes to some of these molecular changes because
up-regulation of phosphorylated CREB and BDNF were
found in auditory cortical neurons of acutely stimulated
rats. These findings provide insights to adaptive, molecular
mechanisms recruited by the brain upon functional electrical
stimulation by neural prosthetic devices.
This research was supported by the National Institute on
Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH-N01-DC-3-1005); ANZ
Trustees Medical Research and Technology in Victoria,
Australia; The Marion & E.H. Flack Trust, The Garnett Passe
and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation, The Freiwillige
Akademishe Gesellschaft (Switzerland). Team members
include: Dr Justin Tan, Dr Sandra Widjaja, Dr Jin Xu, Ms
Helen Feng, Mr Rodney Millard, and Prof. Rob Shepherd.
12
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW COCHLEAR
IMPLANT SOUND PROCESSING STRATEGIES
Improved sound processing strategies
for cochlear implant subjects
100.00
Cochlear Implant processing to provide better
perception of music and voice pitch
This research is supported by The Jack Brockhoff
Foundation; Goldman Sachs JBWere Foundation; Soma
Health Pty Ltd; Mr Robert Albert AO RFD RD; Miss Betty
Amsden OAM; Bruce Parncutt & Robin Campbell; Frederick
& Winnifred Grassick Memorial Fund managed by Trust
as Trustee. The current program leaders include: Dr David
Grayden (The University of Melbourne) and Prof. Anthony
Burkitt (The University of Melbourne and BEI).
Error bars: +/- 2 SE
80.00
Percent CUNY words correct
The aim of this research program is to determine the nature
of the frequency and time information that is required
to adequately code and perceive music and voice-pitch
information in cochlear implants. The aim is to provide
cochlear implant users with enhanced electrical stimulation
that provides them with better perception of music and
voice-pitch. This involves developing computer models that
accurately account for the mechanical and neural response
of the ear to sound, developing models to compare pitch
perception data against existing cochlear implant systems,
and developing electrical stimulation algorithms based upon
these models. The resulting electrical stimulation algorithms
are translated into the cochlear implant hardware and it is
then tested audiological with cochlear implantees. A Senior
Researcher, Dr Jeremy Marozeau has been appointed to
lead this project and will commence in September 2008.
Strategy
ACE
Star
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Patient
Patient word scores for CUNY sentences tested amidst
background noise for STAR and for ACE. Five patients
show a significant improvement in words correct.
Cochlear Implant Sound Processing with STAR
The Spike-based Temporal Auditory Representation (STAR)
sound processing strategy is a development in cochlear
implant sound processing that aims to improve users’
perception of speech, especially in noisy situations. The
study advances our knowledge about how the hearing
system works in normal hearing people as well as people
who use cochlear implants. In 2005-2006, the STAR strategy
in its most basic form was evaluated against a clinical
strategy. Investigations showed that the STAR strategy was
able to perform as well as the clinical strategy ACE despite
vast differences in the way that sounds were processed.
The next stage of the study was to investigate a feature in
the STAR strategy called Long Term Adaptation which aims
to provide better speech perception in background noise.
A strategy evaluated this advanced version of STAR against
ACE with ten research subjects. Results showed that longterm adaptation was of significant benefit to 5 out of the 10
subjects when listening in background noise and showed
some benefit in others.
Music perception was also evaluated with the STAR
strategy. Many cochlear implant users report they are unable
to understand or appreciate music. It was hypothesized that
STAR could provide better music perception by providing
fine timing cues. Tests were conducted with nine cochlear
implant users investigating music perception with the STAR
strategy and the ACE strategy. The results showed that
subjects are divided on their preferred strategy for listening
to music with approximately 50% of patients preferring ACE
and 50% preferring STAR.
This research is supported by the Victorian Lions Foundation
Inc and Soma Health Pty Ltd. We would like to acknowledge
Mr Andrew Vandali and CRC Hear for provision of the Spear
3 processors used in this research. The research team
include: Dr David Grayden (The University of Melbourne);
Prof. Anthony Burkitt (The University of Melbourne and BEI);
Ms Jasmine Mar, Victorian Lions Fellow (BEI) and Mr William
Kentler (BEI).
13
Travelling wave delays for the cochlear implant
The “Travelling Wave” sound processing strategy for
cochlear implants is a new method for processing sound
that is based upon how sound is processed in the human
auditory pathway. Travelling wave delays are the frequencydependent delays for sounds that arise because of the time
it takes for the vibration to travel along the cochlear partition
(basilar membrane) in the cochlea.
This new cochlear implant sound processing strategy
has been tested on six research volunteers with cochlear
implants using a standard battery of speech tests.
Incorporating the travelling wave delays into subjects’ own
processing strategies produced a significant improvement
in speech perception scores in noise. The results represent
the largest improvement in speech performance for cochlear
implant users in more than a decade.
This research forms part of Daniel Taft’s PhD and is
supported by a Postgraduate scholarship (School of
Engineering, The University of Melbourne); the Harold
Mitchell Foundation and Soma Health Pty Ltd. Collaborators
on this project include Department of Electrical & Electronic
Engineering and Department of Otolaryngology, The
University of Melbourne. Daniel is supervised by Dr David
Grayden (The University of Melbourne and BEI) and Prof.
Anthony Burkitt (The University of Melbourne and BEI).
NEURAL MODELLING
The neural modelling unit uses computational and
mathematical models of neural networks to explore
information processing in the brain. Key research
projects include:
Temporal pattern learning and recognition in
neural systems
The goal of this project is to develop real-time recognition
methods for patterns that change with time, particularly
auditory signals. One part of the project studies how the
brain recognizes and learns distinct sequences of events
such as the sequences of sounds that make up words.
We have developed a neural network model inspired by
experimental results on neural correlates of navigation.
The neural network learns to recognize sequences through
the adaptation of neural connections as a result of experience.
Just as in the experimental results, the neural network has
the important property that wide variation in the duration
of sequence elements has little effect on the reliability of
recognition. We are continuing to study the ability of the
model to learn complex sets of sequences.
A second part of the project asks how the fine temporal
structure of sound, such as that resulting from the glottal
pulses characteristic of speech, can be exploited to aid
sound recognition in noise. Using current computational
models of the auditory pathway, we are studying how
neural representation and processing make use of these
features. With a better understanding of the processing
performed in the auditory pathway we will be able to better
strategies for automatic speech recognition and for cochlear
implant processing.
The team includes Dr Sean Byrnes, Prof. Anthony Burkitt
and Dr David Grayden; and is a collaboration between
the BEI and the School of Engineering, The University of
Melbourne. The work is funded by ARC Discovery Project
Grant DP0771815.
14
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J
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Neural networks
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Learning in biological neural networks:
Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity and emergence
of functional pathways
Understanding the underlying processes that determine
the evolution of activity in biological neural networks is a
crucial step towards gaining knowledge on the information
processing that takes place in the brain. This PhD project
conducted by Matthieu Gilson studies learning in neurons
through a mechanism called synaptic plasticity, which
describes the evolution of the strengths of connections
between neurons (or synaptic weights). Such plasticity links
the molecular level to the behavioural level and is believed
to account for specialisation in the brain.
We use the Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP)
model observed in vitro, which relies on the correlation
(temporal coincidence) between the action potentials (or
spikes) fired by neurons. Using a mathematical framework,
we predict the evolution of the distribution of synaptic
weights in a neural network stimulated by external spike
trains which convey spike-time information at the fine
temporal scale of several milliseconds. We use numerical
simulations in order to verify such predictions on the weight
structures learned by the neural network, according to the
external input characteristics and the learning parameters.
We obtained positive results in describing the emergence
of specialised (ie. sensitive to specific stimuli) synchronous
areas in the neural networks at a mesoscopic scale (groups
of several hundreds neurons or more). This emergence of
such functional pathways can for example describe the
self-organisation in the primary visual cortex in the first
weeks after birth observed for mammalians. Understanding
such an information processing in the brain could bring
interesting developments such as using the natural brain
plasticity in order to fine-tune electrical stimulation by
neural prostheses, aiming to restore or use sensory-motor
functions in the central nervous system.
This research is supported by University of Melbourne,
NICTA, ARC Discovery Projects #DP0453205 and
#DP0664271. Matthieu Gilson’s supervisors include:
Prof. Anthony Burkitt, Dr David Grayden, Dr Doreen
A Thomas (The University of Melbourne).
Scheme of self-organisation in a neural network:
firstly, specialisation of the input connections and
emergence of two neuron groups; then decorrelation
of the two neuron groups by learning on the
recurrent connections.
v̂2
Gain modulation in neural systems with feedback,
feedforward and recurrent connectivity
The way nerve responses combine and interact is
fundamental to how the nervous system extracts and
processes information and underlies a range of functions,
including sensory perception, sensory-motor integration,
attentional processing, object recognition and navigation.
However the neural mechanisms underlying these
functions are poorly understood. This project examines the
mechanisms by which systems of interconnected neurons
modulate, control and stabilize their responses, using
mathematical techniques and computational simulations.
The research has focussed on neural systems that are
organised as a sequence of layers due to the connections
between neurons. Such layered neural systems make up the
pathways in the brain responsible for sensory information
processing. This information is believed to be carried within
a pathway by a modulation of the neural responses within
each layer. Using mathematical techniques we have identified
the conditions under which such modulations can be
transmitted in a stable fashion throughout a pathway.
We have discovered a striking contrast between two types
of pathways. In those in which the connections are purely
feedforward, from one layer to the next, we find that
response modulations can not be transmitted effectively.
However, if pathways incorporate additional recurrent
connections within each layer then response modulations
can be transmitted, provided the conditions which we have
identified are satisfied. We have also investigated these
layered neural systems with computer simulations which
support our mathematical results and incorporate features of
neurons which the mathematical methods omit. They also
shed light on more complex phenomena present in these
systems, concerning the timing of neural responses,
which we plan to investigate further. The project addresses
fundamental cross-disciplinary issues of control and
information processing in large, distributed neural systems
that are at the cutting edge of research into intelligent
processing systems. Potential applications are in rapidly
growing fields of robotics, machine learning, adaptive control
and intelligent systems. Applications to cochlear implant
speech processing will provide benefit for the hearing impaired.
The team includes Dr Chris Trengove (BEI), Prof. Anthony
Burkitt, and Dr David Grayden (The University of Melbourne).
The work is funded by ARC Discovery Project Grant
DP0664271.
15
AUDITORY BRAINSTEM IMPLANTS:
STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVED HEARING
In 1989, the first multichannel Auditory Brainstem Implant
(ABI) was developed to restore hearing loss due to
Neurofibromatosis Type II, a genetic condition caused by
tumour growths on the VIIIth cranial nerve. Since then, the
device has been implanted in over 500 patients worldwide;
however, clinical success has been limited. The present
commercially available ABI is designed to stimulate the
surface of the cochlear nucleus (CN), the first station in the
central auditory pathway, which receives direct innervation
from the inner ear. A number of factors affect the performance
of the surface ABI; however most scientists believe two major
areas are in need of improvement. First of all, unlike the
cochlear implant (CI) which is directly in contact with the
tonotopically arranged neurons of the cochlea, the ABI only
stimulates the surface of the CN. Consequently, the ABI is
unable to take advantage of the tonotopic organisation of
neurons inside the CN from low to high frequencies. Second,
both CIs and ABIs use the same stimulation strategies to
convert speech information into electrical current. Given
that the normal processing of acoustic information in the
CN is quite different from sound processing within the
cochlea, several clinical studies have warranted the need for
a novel stimulation strategy exclusive to the ABI along with
a penetrating electrode design. The main aims of our project
are to explore the mechanisms behind coding of frequency
in the auditory brainstem and applying this knowledge to
improve stimulation strategies for the ABI.
This research is supported by The Garnett Passe and Rodney
Williams Memorial Foundation. The Team includes Assoc.
Prof. Tony Paolini (BEI/ La Trobe University), Mohit Shivdasani
(BEI/ La Trobe University), Stefan Mauger (BEI/ La Trobe
University), Rebecca Argent (BEI), and Mr Graeme Rathbone
(La Trobe University).
Inferior colliculus responses to single and dual site
stimulation in the ventral cochlear nucleus with a
penetrating auditory brainstem implant
Our previous study (Shivdasani et. al, 2008) using penetrating
multichannel electrodes in the ventral cochlear nucleus
(VCN) and in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus
(CIC) indicated that VCN stimulation of a single point within
an isofrequency lamina is not always frequency specific
and in some cases does not elicit a response in the CIC.
16
Therefore, it is proposed that the ABI may require a greater
number of electrodes in each VCN isofrequency lamina to
incorporate sufficient redundancy and that simultaneous
stimulation of more than one location within an isofrequency
lamina might provide increased speech perception. In this
study, we hypothesized that simultaneous stimulation
of two VCN sites in similar isofrequency laminae would
further lower thresholds of CIC activation, while providing
a larger dynamic range and a higher degree of frequency
specificity over single site stimulation. CIC sites were found
to respond to dual site stimulation with significantly lower
thresholds, wider dynamic ranges, and in some cases,
an increased spread of activation and a higher degree of
frequency specificity compared to single site stimulation. As
frequency specificity, thresholds and dynamic ranges are all
factors linked to speech perception, this method of dual site
stimulation within similar VCN isofrequency laminae could
result in improvements in speech perception if incorporated
in an ABI stimulation strategy.
This project forms part of Mohit Shivdasani’s PhD. Mohit is
supervised by Assoc. Prof. Tony Paolini (BEI/ La Trobe University)
and Mr Graeme Rathbone (La Trobe University). Mohit’s PhD
is supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) and
Harold Mitchell Postgraduate Student Travelling Fellowship.
Neural Timing in the Inferior Colliculus through
Electrical stimulation of the Cochlear Nucleus
Although ABIs have been successful in restoring some
sound and speech perception, they have not been able to
provide speech intelligibility without lip reading. This is partly
due to the limited understanding of the response of higher
auditory structures to electrical stimulation of the VCN. In
this study we aim to investigate the effects of localised
VCN stimulation by recording single extracellular neuron
responses in the CIC. Particularly, our aim was to look at
timing of neural firing through stimulation of the VCN.
Our results to date provide the first evidence of the auditory
midbrain’s temporal response to VCN electrical stimulation
which could help the development of future ABIs.
This project forms part of Stefan Mauger’s PhD. Stefan
is supervised Assoc. Prof. Tony Paolini (BEI/ La Trobe
University) and Mr. Graeme Rathbone (La Trobe University).
Stefan’s PhD is supported by an Australian Postgraduate
Award (APA); Information and Communication Technology
Scholarship (ICT); Commercialisation Training Scheme
Scholarship (CTS); and a Harold Mitchell Postgraduate
Student Travelling Fellowship.
AUDITORY AND VISUAL INTEGRATION
IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS
Using a cochlear implant, auditory sensation can be restored
in some children with hearing loss. Despite advances in
cochlear implant technology, these children are generally not
expected to reach their age-appropriate spoken language
level by age four.
Development of speech and language relies on accurate
auditory perception as well as the integration of auditory
and visual information. Yet little is known about the
development of auditory and visual integration and how this
is related to language acquisition.
We are currently performing an extensive battery of
neuropsychological tests on normal hearing children and
adults assessing basic auditory, visual, audiovisual and
language development. We are also recording brain-wave
activity during tasks known to induce audiovisual integration.
In addition, we are currently working with a number of local
schools investigating how children with normal hearing put
together pictures and sounds and how this ability is related
to reading, learning and language acquisition.
Children with cochlear implants combine auditory and visual
information differently compared with children who have
good hearing. Auditory pathway deficits in these children
lead vision to dominate their perception. We suspect that
these deficits may result in poor audiovisual integration due
to the lack of auditory neural input. In turn, this adversely
impacts speech and language development.
Using a unique combination of language assessment
techniques and brain recordings we intend to better
understand auditory and visual integrative processes in
children with good hearing and those who have a hearing
impairment. We hope to identify factors underlying
successful language acquisition. Identifying these factors
will enable the development of appropriate strategies to
ensure that children with hearing impairments, cochlear
implants and language disabilities can achieve better
language outcomes.
Biomedical engineer Mohit Shivdasani
measures the activities of nerve
cells in the brain during auditory and
visual stimuli
This research is supported by Neville and Di Bertalli, John
and Janet Calvert-Jones; The Jack Brockhoff Foundation
and the Jack & Robert Smorgon Families Foundation. The
team includes: Assoc. Prof. Tony Paolini (BEI/La Trobe); Ayla
Baratchu (BEI); Hamish Innes-Brown (BEI); Mohit Shivdasani
and Assoc. Prof. Sheila Crewther (La Trobe University).
17
RESEARCH
REPORT
continued
18
DRUG
DELIVERY
SYSTEMS
To function effectively the cochlear implant relies on a healthy
population of auditory nerves to transmit the electrical
signals from the implant to the brain. However, deafness has
a detrimental effect on auditory nerves; they progressively
degenerate and eventually die. A major reason for this is
the loss of protective factors called neurotrophins that are
normally supplied to the nerves by the sensory hair cells.
The result is that deaf people have fewer nerves in the
inner ear compared to hearing people. The cochlear implant
consists of an array of electrodes that deliver electrical
current to hearing nerves in the inner ear helping profoundly
deaf people to communicate. These projects aim to develop
methods to introduce an external source of neurotrophins in
order to prevent degenerative processes with the intention
of improving the effectiveness of the cochlear implant.
GENE THERAPY FOR TARGETED REGENERATION
OF AUDITORY NEURONS AFTER HEARING LOSS
Our research has shown that if we replace the lost
neurotrophins then we can protect the nerves and also
promote resprouting of these nerves. However, the
resprouting nerves are often disorganized and grow in the
wrong direction. We believe that the abnormal resprouting
of auditory nerves is due to a lack of a ‘target’ for the nerves
to grow towards and make connections with. Therefore,
a key aim of this project is to determine whether we can
control the direction of resprouting nerves towards a
localized neurotrophin source following deafness.
We have been investigating methods of controlling nerve
regeneration after hearing loss by expressing small
amounts of neurotrophins in specific cells of the cochlea
via gene therapy. We hope that more localized neurotrophin
expression will create a ‘target’ or source of neurotrophins
that encourages both nerve survival and regeneration
towards the cells expressing the gene.
We have successfully generated gene transfer vectors that
force cells in the cochlea to express neurotrophin genes as
well as a visual marker gene. Neurotrophin gene expression
Gene therapy for neurotrophin gene expression
in auditory neurons
The green cells are auditory neurons that have been
genetically modified to produce increased levels of
the neurotrophin BDNF.
has been shown to contribute to nerve survival in vitro and
we are in the process of investigating the effects of gene
transfer in hearing impaired animal models. We will use twoand three-dimensional visualization techniques to view the
growth and trajectory of neurons with respect to the region
of neurotrophin gene expression.
This research is supported by The Royal National Institute
for Deaf People (RNID UK), the Stavros Niarchos Foundation
and John T Reid Charitable Trusts. Investigators on this
research project are Dr Rachael Richardson, Dr Andrew
Wise, Prof. Rob Shepherd, Ms Brianna Flynn and Mr Patrick
Atkinson from the Bionic Ear Institute, Prof. Stephen
O’Leary from the Department of Otolaryngology, University
of Melbourne, and collaborators Dr Ian Alexander from
the University of Sydney and Prof. Cliff Hume from the
University of Washington.
19
IMPROVING THE NERVE-ELECTRODE
INTERFACE OF THE COCHLEAR IMPLANT
WITH POLYMER TECHNOLOGY
Researchers at The Bionic Ear Institute have many years
of experience in preserving auditory nerves using nerve
growth factors called neurotrophins. We have recently
been focusing on safe and effective methods of long-term
neurotrophin treatment for the inner ear. We investigated
a special coating for cochlear implant electrodes that
delivers neurotrophins safely to the inner ear at the same
time as electrical current. The coating that we tested was a
plastic polymer called polypyrrole (Ppy) that was electrically
conducting and was capable of storing and releasing
neurotrophins without hindering cochlear implant function.
4 intracochlear
polypyrrole-coated
platinum electrodes
Extracochlear
platinum electrode
Polymer-coated electrodes implanted in a cochlea for
protecting auditory neurons from insertion trauma and
deafness-related neural degeneration.
20
Electrode arrays coated with Ppy by colleagues at the
Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, were implanted into
hearing impaired guinea pigs. Ears that were implanted
with Ppy that did not contain neurotrophins showed even
further neural degeneration, indicative of the damage that
can occur when cochlear implants are inserted. However,
when electrode arrays were coated with Ppy that did
contain neurotrophins, the impact of insertion was lessened
and when electrical stimulation was applied (boosting
the release of neurotrophins from the polymer), neurons
were protected from both insertion damage as well as
some of the degeneration associated with deafness. This
indicates that electrode coatings such as Ppy can rescue
neurons from dying after deafness as well as protect them
from damage that occurs during cochlear implantation.
This will help achieve our ultimate goal of preserving and
regenerating as many hearing nerves as we possibly can
to ensure that the cochlear implant can work to the best
of its ability.
This research is supported by The Royal National Institute
for Deaf People (RNID UK), the Stavros Niarchos Foundation
and John T Reid Charitable Trusts. Investigators on this
research project are Dr Rachael Richardson, Dr Andrew
Wise, Prof. Rob Shepherd, Prof. Rob Kapsa, Prof. Graeme
Clark, Dr James Fallon, Ms Brianna Flynn and Ms Alison
Evans from The Bionic Ear Institute, Prof. Stephen O’Leary
from the University of Melbourne, Prof. Gordon Wallace,
Dr Simon Moulton and Ms Brianna Thompson from the
University of Wollongong.
Above: ‘Dying to hear’, finalist entry,
2007 New Scientist Eureka Prize for
Science photography
PROTECTING THE AUDITORY NERVE WITH
ENCAPSULATED NEUROPROTECTIVE CELLS
The Bionic Ear Institute and Living Cell Technologies Ltd
in New Zealand are working together to improve hearing
for Bionic Ear users. Through combining the expertise of
The Bionic Ear Institute with the cutting edge techniques
at Living Cell Technologies Ltd we are developing unique
methods to rescue the auditory nerve following deafness.
As part of this collaboration Jacqueline Andrew’s doctoral
studies are investigating a new method to protect the
hearing nerve following deafness. Jacqueline is using
tiny, seaweed-derived capsules containing cells which
naturally produce neurotrophins, to replace the supply of
neurotrophins lost following deafness. The cells, called
‘choroid plexus’ and ‘Schwann cells’ produce a range of
protective hormones and proteins that we know to improve
nerve survival. The capsules are produced by Living Cell
Technologies Ltd and essentially hide the cells from a
patients’ immune system to prevent rejection.
Jacqueline is supervised by Prof. Rob Shepherd (BEI),
Dr Bryony Coleman (University of Melbourne) and Prof.
Richard Dowell (University of Melbourne) and her advisors
are Anne Coco (BEI) and Marilyn Geaney (LCT). Other
members of our team include: Dr Stephen Skinner (LCT),
Dr Paul Tan (LCT) and Dr Andrew Wise (BEI). This work is
funded by the generous support of the NH&MRC (Dora
Lush Biomedical Postgraduate Research Scholarship),
Living Cell Technologies Ltd, The Harold Mitchell Foundation
Postgraduate Student Travelling Fellowship and The
Bionic Ear Institute. Our beautiful capsules were also
recognised in the 2007 New Scientist Eureka Prize for
Science Photography.
Encapsulated Porcine Choroid Plexus cells used in
this research. Courtesy of Marilyn Geaney, Living
Cell Technologies.
21
AUDITORY MAINTENANCE USING
CELL THERAPY TECHNIQUES
Auditory neurons, the target cells of the cochlear implant,
undergo progressive degeneration in deafness. Importantly,
intracochlear infusion of neurotrophic factors such as brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3)
can prevent auditory neuron degeneration. However, these
experimental methods are not considered clinically viable.
Our current studies are focussed upon investigating cellbased techniques as a potential clinically relevant means
of delivering neurotrophins into the cochlea. Previously, we
have reported that Schwann cells which secrete increased
amounts of BDNF or NT-3 can enhance auditory neuron
survival in vitro in comparison to controls. We now have
preliminary data which suggests that encapsulated BDNFSchwann cells also prevent auditory neuron degeneration
in an animal model of deafness.
The application of these neurotrophic factors in a clinical
setting may improve speech perception and language
outcomes for cochlear implant patients.
This research is being conducted by Dr Lisa Pettingill and
Prof. Rob Shepherd, and is supported by the Macquarie
Group Foundation, the State Government of Victoria,
and The Bionic Ear Institute.
Left: BDNF-Schwann cell implant
Right: Untreated
A cochlea section following treatment with a BDNFSchwann cell implant (top) shows greater cell survival
than the untreated deaf control (bottom).
22
A NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
ENCAPSULATING BRAIN DERIVED
NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR IN NANOPARTICLES
FOR TREATING SENSORINEURAL
HEARING LOSS
We have developed a novel therapeutic approach to
encapsulate BDNF in bio-compatible and bio-degradable
nanoparticles in order to initiate its release in a slow and
sustainable manner, with a view of adapting this strategy
for long-term treatment of nerve deafness.
In collaboration with our colleagues at the Department of
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The University
of Melbourne, we sequestered BDNF into nanoparticles
using polymer chemistry. Under physiological conditions,
this BDNF is released and preserves its structural integrity.
The amount of BDNF released per nanoparticle is quantified
using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Our ongoing
endeavour is to determine if BDNF which has been
encapsulated in nanoparticles still maintains its biological
activity. This can be confirmed by adding the molecule into
SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. In the presence of BDNF,
these cells will differentiate into neurons.
BDNF-nanoparticle complexes will be synthesised which
release the BDNF molecule over a period of weeks; and
the released BDNF would retain its chemical integrity and
biological activity, despite undergoing treatment procedures
during its encapsulation.
This research is supported by National Institutes of Health
funded contract (HHS-N-263-2007-00053-C) and the Royal
Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. The Research team includes:
Dr Fergal Glynn (BEI); Dr Justin Tan (BEI); Yajun Wang
(Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,
The University of Melbourne); Prof. Frank Caruso
(Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,
University of Melbourne) and Prof. Rob Shepherd (BEI).
RESEARCH
REPORT
continued
HANNAH
Epilepsy sufferer Hannah Galvin took part in experimental brain stimulation
to help neurologist Professor Mark Cook and his team develop an implant
that can detect and control seizures.
23
BIONIC EYE
The overall goal is to develop a bionic implant capable
of restoring reading vision to people suffering from eye
diseases such as macula degeneration, which is responsible
for 48% of all blindness in Australia. A video camera will
capture and process the images and these images are sent
wirelessly to a bionic implant. The implant then stimulates
dormant optic nerves to generate ‘phosphenes’ that
form the basis of images in the brain. Our collaborative
partners on our Bionic Eye research include: the Centre for
Eye Research Australia (CERA); NICTA; The University of
Melbourne and The University of NSW.
This research includes several studies:
• Development of High Resolution Visual
Stimulation approaches
A new generation of retinal stimulation techniques will
need to be developed in order for the brain to “see”
high resolution images.
• High Resolution Electrode Design
It is necessary to ensure that the implant will not result
in damage to the retina and will continue to function
over long periods of time in the environment within the
eye. The implant will be designed using nanotechnology
techniques developed by our collaborators at NICTA and
The University of Melbourne.
• Functional Biocompatibility
The materials used in this device must be biocompatible, non corrosive and must not cause any
adverse chemical reactions with biological tissue.
The long term performance of the stimulating
electrodes is to be assessed.
• Surgery
An important aspect of the program is the development
of surgical techniques to implant the device on the
retina and ensure that it remains in a fixed place.
This will be conducted by our ophthalmic collaborators
within CERA and the Department of Ophthalmology,
University of Melbourne.
24
• Learning
An important aspect of this study is the development
of vision processing strategies that will lead to optimal
perceptual performance. Vision processing strategies
will be developed using the combined skills of NICTA,
University of Melbourne, University of NSW and
BEI engineers.
• Electrophysiological, behavioural and
psychophysical studies
To assess the efficacy of the vision processing
strategies, both animal and human studies are
necessary. The electrophysiological animal studies
will provide us with detailed information about the
relationship between electrically and optically evoked
neural responses. The behavioural and psychophysical
studies will provide information about the perceived
visual responses to electrical stimulation and to provide
us with information about the extent to which electrical
stimulation of the retina is able to evoke a retinotopic
map in the visual cortex, i.e. a representation of the
external visual world on the brain. This will be crucial
for developing automated electrical stimulation protocols
that can be tailored to each individual.
The project is supported by The Ian Potter Foundation and
John T Reid Charitable Trusts. The research team includes
Assoc. Prof. Chris Williams (BEI); Prof. Rob Shepherd (BEI);
Dr James Fallon (BEI) Ms Meera Ulaganathan (BEI); Dr Chi
Luu (CERA); Dr Penny Allen (CERA); Dr Mark McCoombe
(CERA); Prof. Robyn Guymer (CERA); Prof. Hugh Taylor
(CERA); Prof. Stan Skafidis (NICTA Department of Electrical
Engineering University of Melbourne); Prof. Anthony Burkitt
(BEI/NICTA Department of Electrical Engineering University
of Melbourne); Dr Hamish Meffin (NICTA Department
of Electrical Engineering University of Melbourne);
PhD student Nick Opie (NICTA Department of Electrical
Engineering University of Melbourne), Prof. Nigel Lovell
(University of NSW) and Assoc. Prof. Gregg Suaning
(University of NSW).
HOW THE
BIONIC EYE
WILL WORK
Retina
Lens
Optic
Nerve
Cornea
A Video Camera
fitted to a pair
of glasses and
captures a stream
of images
B Wireless Processor
converts the camera
images into digital
signals which are
sent to the implant
using wireless
technology
C Bionic Implant
a chip with an array
of 1,000 electrodes
is attached to the
damaged retina. This
receives signals from
the processor, using
them to stimulate the
optic nerve.
Processor
D Optic Nerve
transmits electrical
impulses from the
retina to the brain.
E Visual Centre
at the back of the
brain translates
nerve impulses into
the images we see.
25
INTELLIGENT
IMPLANTS AND
NEUROLOGICAL
APPLICATIONS
THE DETECTION AND CONTROL
OF EPILEPTIC SEIZURES
The Neurodynamics of Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a neurological disease affecting approximately
1% of the population and it is characterised by abnormal
electrical activity in the brain called seizures. Generally,
the more parts of the brain affected by a seizure the more
severe the condition. The severity of the seizures and
their effect on the quality of life of the patient varies both
between and within patients, i.e., a single patient can
have varying degrees of severity of seizures and different
patients with similar conditions can have varying degrees
of severity of seizures. It is not known what physiological
factors determine this variation. If these factors were
known, treatments could be devised that limit the spread
and severity of the seizure. PhD candidate Andre Peterson’s
research involves constructing a physiologically plausible
mathematical model of a complex brain network in order
to determine what properties of the network that facilitate
seizure spread. In particular he is studying how a seizure
spreads on a microscopic scale and what self-correcting
mechanisms of the brain are responsible for containing the
abnormal activity as well as, more importantly, how they can
fail. The model will be tested against real patient seizure data
to investigate which factors determine the seizure spread.
This research is supported by ARC Linkage Project
LP0560684 and is a collaboration between the BEI,
School of Engineering (The University of Melbourne) and
St Vincent’s Hospital (Melbourne). The team include:
Andre Peterson, Prof. Anthony Burkitt; Dr David Grayden;
Prof. Iven Mareels; Prof. Mark Cook; Dr Hamish Meffin and
Dr Levin Kuhlmann
26
Epileptic Seizure Prediction and the Dynamics
of the Electrical Fields of the Brain.
Even though seizure occurrences appear to occur at random,
there is evidence that there are changes in the brain’s
behaviour some time before attacks occur. This is partly
supported by reports from sufferers and their friends and
families about ‘funny or strange’ feelings or behaviour prior to
seizures. On a more technical level, seizures have been likened
to a “bifurcation” of the dynamical state of the brain where
the brain activity becomes unstable. Under certain scenarios,
if the bifurcation theory of seizures holds true, then seizures
should be predictable by tracking the state of the brain.
Dean Freestone’s PhD project focuses on developing a
method of seizure prediction based upon these principles.
If seizures can be reliably predicted then it is thought that
some local therapy could be administered, which could
reduce or eliminate the impending attack. At the very least,
some warning may be given to the patient.
The techniques that Dean is employing in his PhD take
advantage of recordings of the brain’s electrical fields in
epilepsy patients at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Patients who are candidates for epilepsy surgery, where
the diseased part of the brain is removed, have electrodes
implanted under their skull directly onto the brain to
accurately locate the epileptic region and distinguish it from
the normally functioning areas. Via these electrodes we
have access to neural recordings that will help us develop
methods of tracking the brain’s dynamical state.
Dean Freestone is supervised by Dr David Grayden,
Prof. Anthony Burkitt, Prof. Mark Cook; Dr Levin Kuhlmann
and Prof. Iven Mareels. This project is part of the interdisciplinary research supported by the ARC Linkage Project
LP0560684 and is a collaboration between the BEI, School
of Engineering (The University of Melbourne) and
St Vincent’s Hospital (Melbourne).
ACES NANO-BIONICS PROGRAM
Neural Repair: Polymer scaffolds for directed
regrowth of spinal nerves
The Bionics Program of the Australian Research Council
Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES)
has partner nodes within The University of Wollongong,
St. Vincent’s Hospital, The Bionic Ear Institute and Monash
University. Using novel nanomaterials and intelligent
polymers, the ACES Bionics program is focused on
generating nano-bionic devices and conductive polymer
systems that promote efficient interactions with neural
tissue. The research conducted within the BEI’s Eric Bauer
“Nano-Bionics” laboratory is directed towards development
of a new-generation of cochlear implant electrodes as well
as repairing and regenerating damaged nerves in the spinal
cord following traumatic injury.
The applicability of novel biomaterials to spinal cord
regeneration is also being investigated. This aspect of the
program is focused towards development of systems
incorporating polymer scaffolds that can guide functional
repair of nerves after spinal cord injury. These studies have
been initiated in vitro, and are currently being phased into
chronic in vivo studies. Electrophysiological recordings from
regrown spinal nerves will allow insight into the functional
capabilities of nerves regenerated with these polymer
scaffolds and may lead to development of a “bionic spine”.
This project aims to promote better communication
between living nerve cells and bionic devices using
nanotechnology and nanostructure via electroconductive
materials including carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and other
organic conducting polymers (OCPs). Nanostructured
electromaterials such as CNTs involve fibres with diameters
in the order of millionths of a millimetre. They possess
unique and useful properties, including excellent electrical
conductivity and high tensile strength. These properties
place CNTs as a promising material for the next generation
of neural-computer interfacing electrodes. They may be able
to stimulate brain cells with a more directed electrical field
that uses less power than conventional electrodes. CNT
electrodes may thus provide Bionic Ear recipients better
perception of sound with smaller and longer lasting devices.
Neural Interfacing: development of improved
“nano-bionic” electrodes for cochlear implants
The challenge is to create a serviceable interface between
OCPs, CNTs and a conventional electrical circuit. We are
investigating several methods to accomplish this, involving
platinum sputter-coating and various other methods by which
to attach nanobionic elements to electrode surfaces. Once
we have created an effective connection to a CNT-based
electrode array, we will use the cochlea and auditory brainstem,
as a model to record responses to stimulation with and without
nano-stimulation. These recordings will reveal whether
stimulation with novel CNT electrodes results in a greater
degree of frequency resolution than would be expected with
conventional electrodes. These studies are aimed towards
designing better electrodes for cochlear implants that will
give the recipients a more high-fidelity perception of sound.
Nano-Safety: Biocompatibility of novel biomaterials
This project is investigating the safety and efficacy of new
polymer composite materials for neural prostheses. We have
been studying the biocompatibility of composite materials
containing CNTs in vivo to determine whether these nanobionic materials can be used safely in a physiological setting.
These studies also include an in vitro component to evaluate,
in more detail, the possibility of any adverse effects on
cellular function and to establish the capacity of the
materials to support stimulated nerve function and growth.
ACES Bionics team
The University of Wollongong’s Intelligent Polymer Research
Institute fabricate the CNTs and OCPs for our studies.
We also collaborate with RMIT’s School of Applied Physics
and La Trobe University School of Chemistry to image and
process the CNT arrays.
The Melbourne team is headed by Prof. Graeme Clark
AC and includes principal investigator Associate Prof.
Rob Kapsa, research fellow Dr David Nayagam, research
assistant Kylie Magee, Associate Prof. Chris Williams,
UROP student Ronald Leung, administrative assistant
Stewart Gresham, research assistant Magdalena Kita,
research fellow Dr Anita Quigley, neurologist Prof. Mark
Cook, neurosurgeons Dr Kristian Bulluss and Associate
Prof. Michael Murphy. Consultants on the Program include
Prof. Richard Kirsner, Associate Prof. Tony Paolini, Dr Rachael
Richardson, Mr Graeme Rathbone, Prof. Wayne Morrison
and Prof. Peter Choong. The University of Wollongong group
includes Centre Director Prof. Gordon Wallace, Dr Jun Chen,
Dr Joselito Razal, Dr Kerry Gilmore, Dr Michael Higgins,
Dr Simon Moulton, Dr Syed Ashraf, Dr Toni Campbell,
Brianna Thompson, and Xiao Liu.
27
BIONIC
TECHNOLOGIES
AUSTRALIA
Bionic Technologies Australia is a joint
venture established between The Bionic Ear
Institute, St Vincent’s Hospital (Melbourne),
CSIRO Molecular & Health Technologies,
CSIRO Textile & Fibre Technology, The
University of Wollongong and Polynovo
Biomaterials Pty Ltd. The 2007/08 year
was our second year of operation where
we sought to deliver outcomes from our
applied research efforts.
The group of dissociated sensory nerve
cell bodies at right have sprouted axons
(highlighted by the green immunofluorescent
stain) in culture. The Bionic Technologies
Australia nerve repair team led by Associate
Professor Rob Kapsa are using these cells
to test the biocompatibility of polymers for
neural conduit devices. (Image courtesy of
Dr Anita Quigley.)
Bionic Technologies Australia seeks to act as a catalyst
bringing together the collective capabilities of its members
to deliver next generation bionic products through
outcome-focused research. It is envisaged that Bionic
Technologies Australia will act as a focal point for interaction
and collaboration among its members and other research
Institutes and industry partners seeking to develop bionic
products. Bionic Technologies Australia is funded with a
$6million STI grant from the Victorian Government matched
with $6.5million of in-kind contributions from the members.
This allows Bionic Technologies Australia to conduct its
research in both bionics and medical devices at a number of
sites around Australia including: East Melbourne – biological
science activities; Clayton – polymer science activities;
Geelong – textile and material fabrication activities; and
Wollongong – material science activities. The science
capabilities of our partners have been organised within
Bionic Technologies Australia in a manner that provides
core development capabilities in neuroscience, biomedical
engineering, biomaterials, and drug delivery devices.
Near the end of the 2007/2008 year one of our members
PolyNovo Biomaterials Ltd retired from the joint venture.
The management of Bionic Technologies Australia thanks
PolyNovo Biomaterials Ltd for their support and efforts
during the past two years and wishes them all the best in
their future endeavours.
Research
During the course of the 2007/2008 year, Bionic Technologies
Australia has made significant progress in all three of its
research programs.
28
Peripheral Nerve Repair
Our Peripheral Nerve Repair Program utilises tubular
polymer scaffolds with inbuilt features to encourage nerve
growth initially aimed at repairing traumatic nerve damage in
limbs. The device under development is designed to replace
a segment of damaged nerve by being sutured between
the ends of the nerve and encouraging new nerve growth
down the conduit. During the course of the year we were
successfully able to fabricate the tubular polymer scaffolds
and are now testing their performance in a rat sciatic nerve
model. Significant effort was required to produce these
scaffolds requiring the input of biologists, polymer chemists,
and milling and knitting expertise.
Infection control for implantable devices
Two new technologies have emerged from the Infection
Control Program. The first is a technology that allows an
antibiotic to be blended in a polymer coating in sufficient
concentration to ensure as it elutes from the polymer a
minimum bacterial inhibitory concentration is achieved
some distance from the surface of the coat. This technology
is being used to develop a device coating that minimises
the risk of bacterial infection following implantation. The
second technology is a drug-polymer conjugate technology
that enables production of polymer materials that contain
more than 50% by weight drug, with the drug covalently
attached to the polymer. While the technology is also being
investigated for the infection control coating application
it has potential broad application being particularly suited
to release of drugs from device components. Bionic
Technologies Australia is seeking new partners and capital
providers to fund future development of the technologies
arising from the Infection Control Program.
Early treatment of epileptic seizures with
anti-epileptic devices
The Epilepsy Control Program will interface signal
processing technology with direct brain stimulation to
produce an electronic implantable device implant for the
recognition and control of epileptic seizures either by the
stimulation of target regions within the central nervous
system or by the controlled release of therapeutic drugs.
During the course of the 2007/2008 year we were able to
clearly show seizure termination in a rat model with one of
our therapeutic stimulation paradigms. An exciting result
indeed. Our challenge moving forward is to demonstrate
the robustness of the seizure termination paradigm and
translate the rat result to a demonstrable seizure termination
in a human subject. Bionic Technologies Australia is
seeking new partners and capital providers to fund future
development of this new therapeutic stimulation paradigm
arising from the Epilepsy Control Program.
Success arising from any one of these programs is likely
to have a significant impact on patient health and well
being and on Victoria’s economic growth. Commercialisation
strategies are now in place for all three programs
with strong prospects for company formation and
technology licensing.
Governance and Management
Bionic Technologies Australia is governed by a Board
comprising nominees from each of the members and an
independent chair, Mr Rob Trenberth. The Board has overall
responsibility for the administration of Bionic Technologies
Australia and has established a Centre Executive to
conduct the day to day management. The Centre Executive
comprises the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Russell Tait,
each of three Program Leaders; Professor Mark Cook (St
Vincent’s) - Epilepsy Program Leader, Associate Professor
Rob Kapsa (The Bionic Ear Institute) - Neural Repair Program
Leader and Dr Mike O’Shea (CSIRO) - Infection Control
Program Leader.
Relationships
One of the important roles of Bionic Technologies Australia
is to foster new relationships with key partners interested
in our research programs. Only through close working
relationships and collaboration will successful research
outcomes be achieved. In addition to the established
relationship of the members, Bionic Technologies Australia
has continued to cultivate existing relationships with the
research partners, The University of Melbourne, Murdoch
Children’s Research Institute and the Victorian College
of Pharmacy (Monash University). We also continue to
actively engage potential industry partners with a number
of confidentiality agreements signed during the course of
the year. We have also started active engagement with the
venture capital community and have formal arrangements
in place with Stone Ridge Venture, Brandon Capital, Starfish
Ventures and SciVentures to allow due diligence to be
conducted on the opportunities emerging from Bionic
Technologies Australia. Finally, we would like to gratefully
acknowledge the contribution of the Victorian Government
through the $6million STI grant.
Dr Russell Tait
CEO, Bionic Technologies Australia
29
PUBLICATIONS
Book Chapters
1. Kapsa, R., Wong, S. H., & Quigley, A.
(2008). Electroporation of Corrective
Nucleic Acids (CNA) In Vivo to Promote
Gene Correction in Dystrophic Muscle.
In S. Li (Ed.), Electroporation Protocols
(pp. 390-404). New York: Springer.
Journal Articles
1. Backhouse, S., Coleman, B. &
Shepherd, R. K. (in press). Surgical
access to the mammalian cochlea
for cell-based therapies.
Experimental Neurology.
2. Burkitt, A. N. (2007). Book Review
of Computational Neuroscience:
A Comprehensive Approach. Network:
Computation in Neural Systems,
18(1), 5-9.
3. Burkitt, A. N. & Trengove C. (2007).
Transmission of spiking-rate information
through layered networks: The role of
recurrent and feedback connections.
In Proceedings of the Sixteenth Annual
Computational Neuroscience (CNS)
Meeting 2007, Toronto, 7-12 July 2007.
BMC Neuroscience, 8(Suppl 2), p. 24.
4. Cant, N. B., Malmierca, M. S., StormMathisen, J., & Irvine, D. R. F. (2008).
From cochlea to cortex: A tribute to
Kirsten Kjelsberg Osen. Neuroscience,
154, 1-9.
5. Coleman, B., de Silva, M. G., &
Shepherd, R. K. (2007). The potential
of stem cells for auditory neuron
generation and replacement. Stem
cells, 25, 2685-2694.
30
6. Coleman, B., Hardie, N. A., de Silva,
M.G. & Shepherd, R. K. (in press).
A protocol for cryoembedding the
adult guinea pig cochlea for
fluorescence immunohistology.
J Neuroscience Methods.
7. Eager, M. A., Grayden, D. B., Meffin,
H. & Burkitt, A. N. (2007). Constraining
neural microcircuits with surrogate
physiological data and genetic
algorithms. In Proceedings of the
Sixteenth Annual Computational
Neuroscience (CNS) Meeting 2007,
Toronto, 7-12 July 2007. BMC
Neuroscience, 8(Suppl 2), p. 16.
8. Evans, A., Thompson, B., Wallace,
G., Millard, R., O’Leary, S., Clark,
C., Shepherd, R. & Richardson R.
T. (accepted). Promoting neurite
outgrowth from auditory nerve explants
grown on electrically stimulated
polypyrrole/BDNF polymers. Journal of
Biomedical Materials Research Part A.
9. Fallon, J. B., Irvine, D., & Shepherd, R.
K. (2008). Cochlear implants and brain
plasticity. Hearing Research, 238(1-2),
110-117.
10. Gilson, M., Burkitt, A. N. & van
Hemmen, J. L. (2007). The learning
dynamics of spike-timing-dependent
plasticity in recurrently connected
networks. In Proceedings of the
Sixteenth Annual Computational
Neuroscience (CNS) Meeting 2007,
Toronto, 7-12 July 2007. BMC
Neuroscience, 8(Suppl 2), p. 190.
11. Guipponi M., Toh M. Y., Tan J., Park
D., Hanson K., Ballana E., et al.
(2007). An integrated genetic and
functional analysis of the role of type
II transmembrane serine proteases
(TMPRSSs) in hearing loss. Human
Mutation, 29, 130-141.
12. Guipponi, M., Tan, J., Cannon, P. Z. F.,
Donley, L., Crewther, P., Clarke, M., et
al. (2007). Mice deficient for the type
II transmembrane serine protease,
TMPRSS1/hepsin, exhibit profound
hearing loss. American Journal of
Pathology, 171, 608-616.
13. Heffer, L. F. & Fallon, J. B. (2008).
A novel stimulus artifact removal
technique for high-rate electrical
stimulation. Journal of Neuroscience
Methods, 170, 277-284.
14. Huang, C., Tykocinski, M., Stathopoulos
D. and Cowan, R. S. C. (2007). Effects
of steroids and lubricants on electrical
impedance and tissue response
following cochlear implantation.
Cochlear Implants International,
8(3), 123 - 147.
15. Hurley, P. A., Shepherd, R. K., & Crook,
J. M. (2007). Schwann cells revert to
non-myelinating phenotypes in the
deafened rat cochlea. European Journal
of Neuroscience, 26(7), 1813-1821.
16. James, D., Eastwood, H., Richardson,
R. T., & O’Leary, S. J. (2007). Effects
of round window dexamethasone on
residual hearing in a guinea pig model
of cochlear implantation. Audiology &
Neurotology, 13, 86-96.
17. Levay, E. A., Govic, A., Penman, J.,
Paolini, A. G., & Kent, S. (in press).
Effects of adult-onset calorie restriction
on anxiety-like behavior in rats.
Physiology & Behavior.
18. Millard R. E., Shepherd R. K. (2007).
A fully implantable stimulator for use
in small laboratory animals. J Neurosci
Methods, 166(2), 168-77.
19. Moore, D. R., Shepherd, R. K. (2008).
The auditory brain - a tribute to
Dexter R.F. Irvine. Hearing Research,
238(1-2), 1-2.
20. Pettingill, L., Minter, R., & Shepherd,
R. K. (2008). Schwann cells genetically
modified to express neurotrophins
promote spiral ganglion neuron survival
in vitro. Neuroscience, 152(3), 821-828.
21. Shepherd, R. K., Coco, A., Epp, S. B.
(2008). Neurotrophins and electrical
stimulation for protection and repair
of spiral ganglion neurons following
sensorineural hearing loss. Hearing
Research, 242(1-2), 100-9.
22. Shivdasani, M. N., Mauger, S. J.,
Rathbone, G. D., Paolini, A. G. (2008).
Inferior colliculus responses to
multichannel microstimulation of the
ventral cochlear nucleus: implications
for auditory brain stem implants.
J Neurophysiol, 99(1), 1-13.
23. Wei B. P., Clark G. M., O’Leary S. J.,
Shepherd R. K., Robins-Browne R.
M. (2007). Meningitis after cochlear
implantation. British Medical Journal,
335(7629), p.1058.
24. Wei, B. P., Robbins-Browne, R.,
Shepherd, R. K., Clark, G. M., &
O’Leary, S. J. (2008). Can we prevent
cochlear implant recipients from
developing pneumococcal meningitis?
Clinical Infectious Diseases, 46(1),
e1-e7.
25. Wei, B., Clark, G. M., RobbinsBrowne, R., & O’Leary, S. J. (in press).
Pneumococcal meningitis post cochlear
implantation: development of an animal
model. Otology & Neurotology.
26. Wei, B., Robbins-Browne, R., Shepherd,
R. K., Azzopardi, K., Clark G. M. &
O’Leary, S. J. (2007). Assessment of
the protective effect of pneumococcal
vaccination in preventing meningitis
after cochlear implantation. Arch
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 133(10),
987-994.
27. Wei, B., O’Leary S. J., & Dowell, R. C.
(2007). Cochlear implantation: one or
two? The Lancet, 370, 719-720.
28. Wong, L. L. N., Vandali. A. E., Ciocca,
V., Luk, B., Ip, V. W. K., Murray, B., Yu, H.
C., and Chung, I. (2008). New cochlear
implant coding strategy for tonal
language speakers. International
Journal of Audiology, 47(6), 337-47.
29. Wong, S. H., Lowes, K. N., Bertoncello,
I., Quigley, A. F., Simmons, P. J., Cook,
M. J., Kornberg, A. J. & Kapsa, R. M.
(2007). Evaluation of Sca-1 and c-Kit
as selective markers for muscle
remodelling by nonhemopoietic bone
marrow cells. Stem cells, 25(6),
1364-1374.
30. Wong, S., Lowes, K. Bertoncello, I.
Quigley, A., Kita, M. Simmons, P. Cook,
M., Kornberg, A. & Kapsa. R. (2007).
Identification of muscle-remodelling
non-hemopoietic bone marrow stem
cells using the stem cell factor receptor,
c-Kit. Journal of Gene Medicine,
9(6), 542-542.
31. Xu, J., Briggs, R., Tykocinski, M.,
Newbold, C., Risi, F., Cowan, R., (in
press). Seeing electrode movement in
the cochlea: Micro-focus fluoroscopy –
a great tool for electrode development.
Cochlear Implants International,
Supplement for 6th APSCI.
32. Youssoufian M, Couchman K,
Shivdasani M. N., Paolini A.G.,
Walmsley B. (2008). Maturation of
auditory brainstem projections and
calyces in the congenitally deaf (dn/dn)
mouse. J Comp Neurol, 506(3), 442-51.
Invited Conference Presentations
1. Fallon, J. B., Irvine, D., & Shepherd, R.
K. (2007, Jul 07-11). Cochlear implants
and brain plasticity. Paper presented
at The Auditory Brain Conference:
A Tribute to Professor Dexter Irvine,
Lorne, Victoria, Australia.
2. Irvine, D. (2007, Nov). Auditory System
Plasticity and Auditory Prostheses.
Keynote Speaker. Paper presented
at the Bringing Together the Science
and Practice of Hearing Prostheses,
ARC Human Communication Science
Network, Sydney, Australia.
3. Landry, T. G., Wise, A. K., Fallon,
J. B. & Shepherd, R. K. (2008, Jan
31). Functional effects of exogenous
neurotrophins in the deafened cochlea.
Paper presented at the Proceedings
of the 5th Australasian Auditory
Neuroscience Workshop, Hobart,
Tasmania. Australia.
4. Mauger, S. J., Shivdasani, M. N.,
Rathbone, G. D. & Paolini, A. G.
(2008, Jan 27-30). Frequency specific
activation of inferior colliculus neurons
through penetrating brainstem
microstimulation. Paper presented
at the 28th Annual Meeting of the
Australian Neuroscience Society,
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
5. Nayagam, D. A. X., Clarey, J. C., &
Paolini, A. G. (2008, Jan 31). The tale
of the VCLL. Talk presented at the 5th
Australasian Auditory Neuroscience
Workshop. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
6. Perry, D. W. J., Fallon, J. B., Grayden,
D. B., Millard, R. and Shepherd, R. K.
(2008, Jan 27-30). Research cochlear
implant for small laboratory animals.
Paper presented at the 28th Annual
Meeting of the Australian Neuroscience
Society, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
7. Richardson, R. T., Wise, A., Thompson,
B., Flynn, B., Fretwell, N., Fallon, J.,
et al. (2007, Oct 20-Nov 02). Joining
the cochlear implant and the auditory
nerve - dendritic growth on polymers.
Paper presented at the 6th Asia Pacific
Symposium on Cochlear Implant and
Related Sciences, Sydney, Australia.
31
8. Shepherd, R. K. (2007, Nov.).
Sustainable delivery of neurotrophins
to the inner ear. Paper presented at
the 6th Asia Pacific Symposium
on Cochlear Implants and Related
Sciences, Sydney, Australia.
9. Shepherd, R. K. (2007, July 16-20).
Trophic factors and the Electrode/
Neural Interface. Paper presented at
the Conference on Implantable Auditory
Prostheses, Lake Tahoe, California.
10. Shepherd, R. K. (2008, Feb 16-21).
Neurotrophin delivery for sensorineural
hearing loss. Paper presented at
the Association for Research in
Otolaryngology Thirty-first Annual
Midwinter Meeting. Phoenix,
Arizona, USA.
11. Shivdasani M. N., Mauger S. J.,
Rathbone G. D. & Paolini A. G. (2008,
Jan 27-30). Dual Site Stimulation in
the Ventral Cochlear Nucleus: Insights
into Penetrating Auditory Brainstem
Implant Design. Paper presented at the
28th Annual Meeting of the Australian
Neuroscience Society, Hobart,
Tasmania, Australia.
Conference Presentations
1. Andrew, J., Geaney, M., Wise,
A., Pettingill, L., Skinner, S., &
Shepherd, R. K. (2007, Jul 12-17).
Therapeutic potential of encapsulated
neuroprotective cells in the cochlea.
Paper presented at the 7th Annual
International Brain Research
Organization World Congress of
Neuroscience, Melbourne, Australia.
2. Barutchu, A., Innes-Brown, H.,
Shivdasani, M., Crewther, S.
G., & Paolini, A. (2008, Jun). An
elecrophysiological study of the
development of multisensory facilitation
in children. Poster presented at the
14th Annual Meeting of the
Organization for Human Brain
Mapping, Melbourne, Australia.
32
3. Burkitt, A. N., Trengove, C. (2007, Jul
7-12). Transmission of spiking-rate
information through layered networks:
The role of recurrent & feedback
connections. Poster presented at
the Sixteenth Annual Computational
Neuroscience Meeting, Toronto, Canada.
4. Byrnes, S., Burkitt, A. N., Grayden, D.
B., Meffin, H., Trengove, C. (2007, Dec
7-9). A mechanism for temporal pattern
learning and recognition in neural
systems. Poster presented at the 2nd
Australian Workshop on Mathematical
& Computational Neuroscience,
Mt Lofty, Adelaide, Australia.
5. Campbell, L. J., Sly, D. J., &
O’Leary, S. J. (2007, Jul 12-17).
An electrically-stimulated auditory
nerve model: Testing with variable
amplitude pulse trains derived from
speech. Poster presented at the 7th
Annual International Brain Research
6. Chen J., Minett A. I., Liu Y., Liu X.,
Gilmore K., Nayagam D. A. X.,
Shipham K., Kapsa R., Clark G.,
Wallace G. G. (2008, June).
Nanostructured electromaterials for
bio-applications. Paper presented
at the Asia-Pacific Symposium on
Nanobionics, University of Wollongong,
New South Wales, Australia.
7. Eager, M. A., Grayden, D. B., Meffin,
H., Burkitt, A. N. (2007, Jul 7-12).
Constraining neural mircocircuits
with surrogate physiological data
and genetic algorithms. Paper
presented at the Sixteenth Annual
Computational Neuroscience Meeting,
Toronto, Canada.
8. Evans, A., Thompson, B., Wallace,
G. G., Millard, R., O’Leary, S. J.,
Shepherd, R. K., et al. (2007, Oct
03-04). Promoting neurite outgrowth
from electrically stimulated Ppy/pTS/
BDNF polymers. Paper presented
at the ARC Centre for Excellence
for Electromaterials Science Annual
Workshop, Melbourne, Australia.
9. Evans, A., Thompson, B., Wallace, G.
G., Millard, R., O’Leary, S. J., Shepherd,
R. K., et al. (2008, Jan 31). Promoting
neurite outgrowth from electrically
stimulated Ppy/pTS/BDNF polymers.
Paper presented at the 5th Australasian
Auditory Neuroscience Workshop.
10. Fallon, J. B., Irvine, D., Donley, L.,
& Shepherd, R. K. (2007a, Jul 15-20).
Plastic changes in the primary auditory
cortex of the deafened cat resulting
from cochlear implantation. Paper
presented at the Conference on
Implantable Auditory Prostheses,
Lake Tahoe, California.
11. Fallon, J. B., Irvine, D., & Shepherd,
R. K. (2007b, Jul 12-17). Plastic
changes in the primary auditory cortex
of the deafened cat resulting from
cochlear implantation. Paper presented
at the International Brain Research
Organisation World Congress of
12. Fallon, J. B., Irvine, D. R. F. & Shepherd,
R. K. (2008a, 16-18 Jun). Changes in
the cochleotopic organization of primary
auditory cortex resulting from chronic
deafness and cochlear implantation.
Paper presented at the Thirty-Eighth
Neural Interfaces Conference,
Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
13. Fallon, J. B., Wise, A. K. & Shepherd,
R. K. (2008b, February 16-21). Factors
affecting neural response telemetry
recordings in the chronically stimulated
cat. Paper presented at the Thirty-First
Annual Midwinter Research Meeting
of the Association for Research in
Otolaryngology, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
14. Gilson, M., Burkitt, A. N., & van
Hemmen, J. L. (2007, Jul 8-12,).
The learning dynamics of spike-timingdependent plasticity in recurrently
connected networks. Poster presented
at the Sixteenth Annual Computational
Neuroscience Meeting Toronto, Canada.
15. Gilson, M., Burkitt, A. N., van Hemmen,
J. L., Grayden, D. B. and Thomas,
D.A. (2007, Nov 13-16). Spike-timing
dependent plasticity in recurrently
connected networks with fixed external
inputs. Paper presented at the 14th
International Conference on Neural
Information Processing, ICONIP 2007,
Kitakyushu, Japan.
21. Mauger S. J., Shivdasani M. N.,
Rathbone G. D. & Paolini A. G.
(2008, April 10-12). Inferior colliculus
responses to microstimulation using
a penetrating auditory brainstem
implant. 10th International Conference
on Cochlear Implants and other
Implantable Technologies,
San Diego, USA.
16. Grayden, D. B., Mar, J. S., Kentler, W.
G. & Burkitt, A. N. (2007, Oct 30–Nov
2). Comparing speech perception
performance between STAR and ACE
speech processing strategies. Paper
presented at The 6th Asia Pacific
Symposium on Cochlear Implant and
Related Sciences (APSCI 2007),
Sydney, Australia.
22. Millard, R. E., & Shepherd, R. K. (2007,
Jul 15-20). A fully implantable stimulator
for use in small laboratory animals.
Paper presented at the Conference
on Implantable Auditory Prostheses,
17. Heffer, L. F., Sly, D. J., Fallon, J. B.,
White, M., Shepherd, R. K., &
O’Leary, S. J. (2007, Jul 15-20).
Response properties of electrically
stimulated auditory nerve fibers.
Paper presented at the Conference
on Implantable Auditory Prostheses,
18. Heffer, L. F. and Fallon, J. B. (2008,
Jan 27-30). A novel stimulus artefact
removal technique for high-rate
electrical stimulation. Paper presented
at the Proceedings of the 28th Annual
19. Innes-Brown, H., Barutchu, A.,
Shivdasani, M., & Paolini, A. (2008,
Jun 27-30). Flash VEP is reduced in
children when preceded by an audiovisual stimulus. Poster presented
at the 14th Annual Meeting of the
Organization for Human Brain Mapping,
Melbourne, Australia.
20. Mauger S. J., Shivdasani M. N.,
(2007, Jul 12-17) Auditory brainstem
implant stimulation strategies - An
electrophysiological assessment
technique. Paper presented in the
Proceedings of the International Brain
Research Organisation World Congress
of Neuroscience, Melbourne, Australia.
23. Nayagam D. A. X., Clarey J. C., Paolini
A. G. (2007, Jul 12-17). Extracellular
and intracellular neural responses
in the ventral complex of the lateral
lemniscus. International Brain Research
Organisation World Congress of
24. Nayagam, D. A. X., Clarey, J. C., &
Paolini, A. G. (2007, Dec 7-9). Neural
Responses in the Ventral Complex of
the Lateral Lemniscus. Paper presented
at the 2nd Neural Stem Cells & Frontier
Technologies for Brain Repair Workshop
& the 2nd Australian Workshop in
Computational Neuroscience,
Mt. Lofty, Australia.
25. Paolini, A. G. , Nayagam, D. A. X.
& Clarey, J. C. (2007, Jul 12-17).
Inhibition induced neural delays,
feature Extraction and binding in the
auditory pathway. Paper presented
at the proceedings of the 7th
Annual International Brain Research
26. Perry, D. W. J., Fallon, J. B., Grayden,
D. B., Millard, R. E. & Shepherd, R. K.
(2008, Jan 27-30). Research cochlear
implant for small laboratory animals.
of the 28th Annual Meeting of the
B., Flynn, B., Fallon, J., Wallace,
G., Shepherd, R., Clark, G., &
O’Leary, S. (2008). Polypyrrole-coated
electrodes for the delivery of charge
and neurotrophins to cochlear neurons.
Paper presented at the Asia-Pacific
Symposium on Nanobionics,
University of Wollongong, New South
Wales, Australia.
B., Flynn, B., Millard, R., Fallon, J.,
Shepherd, R., Clark, G., Wallace, G. &
O’Leary, S. (2008, Jan). Polymer-coated
electrodes for the delivery of charge
and neurotrophins to cochlear neurons.
Paper presented at the Australian
Neuroscience Society, 28th Annual
Meeting, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
29. Ryugo, D. K., Baker, C. A., Montey, K.
L., Chang, L. Y., Coco, A., Fallon, J., et
al. (2007, Jul 7-11). Synaptic plasticity
in auditory nerve fibres of chemicallydeafened and electrically-stimulated
cats. Paper presented at The Auditory
Brain Conference – A Tribute to
Professor Dexter Irvine, Lorne,
Victoria, Australia.
30. Shepherd, R. K., Coco, A., Wise, A.,
& Pettingill, L. N. (2007, Jul 15-20).
Neurotrophins and electrical stimulation
for protection and repair following
sensorineural hearing loss. Paper
presented at the Conference on
Implantable Auditory Prostheses,
31. Shepherd, R. K., Coco, A., Andrew,
J., Wise, A. K., Xu, J., Pettingill, L.
(2008, June 22-25). Medical Bionics
and Neurotrophin Delivery: Staring
at an Intersection of Two Emerging
Disciplines. Paper presented at
the Asia-Pacific Symposium on
Nanobionics, University of Wollongong,
New South Wales, Australia.
33
32. Shepherd, R. K., Coco, A., Andrew, J.,
Wise, A. K. and Pettingill, L. N. (2008,
Feb 16-21). Delivery strategies for
neurotrophin delivery into the inner ear
for SGN protection following deafness.
of the Thirty-First Annual Midwinter
Research Meeting of the Association
for Research in Otolaryngology.
Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
33. Shepherd, R. K., Epp, S. B. & Coco, A.
(2008, Jan 27-30). Electrical stimulation
maintains spiral ganglion neurons
following removal of exogenous
neurotrophins. Paper presented at
the Proceedings of the 28th Annual
Rathbone G. D. and Paolini A. G. (2008,
Jan). Dual site stimulation in the
ventral cochlear nucleus: A new insight
for penetrating auditory brainstem
implants. Paper presented at the
Australian Neuroscience Society, 28th
Annual Meeting. Hobart,
(2008, April 10-12) Dual site stimulation
in the ventral cochlear nucleus: A
new insight for penetrating auditory
brainstem implants. Paper presented at
the 10th International Conference on
Cochlear Implants and other Implantable
Technologies, San Diego, USA.
36. Tan J., Widjaja S., Xu J., Shepherd
R. (2007, Jul 12-17). Effects of
sensorineural hearing loss and longterm cochlear implants of activitydependent gene expression in the
rat auditory cortex. Paper presented
at the 7th Annual International Brain
Research Organization World Congress
of Neuroscience, Melbourne, Australia.
34
37. Tan J., Widjaja S., Xu J., Shepherd R.
(2008, February 16-21). Cochlear
implants stimulate activity-dependent
CREB pathway in the deaf auditory
cortex: implications for molecular
plasticity induced by neural prosthetic
devices. Paper presented at the
Association for Research in
Otolaryngology Thirty-first Annual
Midwinter Meeting, Phoenix,
Arizona, USA.
38. Trengove, C. (2007, Jul 7-12). Storage
capacity of a superposition of synfire
chains using conductance-based
integrate-and-fire neurons. Poster
presented at the Sixteenth Annual
Computational Neuroscience Meeting,
Toronto, Canada.
39. Trengove, C. (2008). Populationbased limit-cycle oscillations in a
compositional system of synfire chains:
A proposal for rapid retrieval of large
composite waves in a hierarchical,
recursively compositional system.
Poster presented at the Language
and Neurons: Theoretical Approaches
Symposium, Gonda Multidisciplinary
Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan
University, Israel.
40. Tykocinski, M. (2007, Oct 31-Nov 2).
Safe electrode design – an algorithmic
approach to insertion trauma studies.
Paper presented at the 6th Asia Pacific
Symposium on Cochlear Implants and
41. Vandali, A. E. (2008, February 7-8).
A pitch on the coding of melody in
cochlear implants. Oral presentation,
2nd International Symposium on
Cochlear Implants and Music. Zurich.
42. Wimberley, C. J., Fallon, J. B., Irvine,
D. R. F. & Shepherd, R. K. (2008, Jan
27-30). Cochleotopic organisation of
the central auditory pathway in the
neonatally deafened cat. Proceedings
of the 28th Annual Meeting of the
43. Wise, A. K., Fallon, J. B., Heasman,
J. M. & Shepherd, R. K. (2008, Jan 2730). Factors affecting neural response
telemetry recordings in the chronically
stimulated cat. Proceedings of the
28th Annual Meeting of the Australian
Neuroscience Society, Hobart,
44. Xu, J., Briggs, R., Tykocinski, M.,
Newbold, C., Risi, F. & Cowan, R.,
(2007, Oct 30-Nov 2). Seeing electrode
movement in the cochlea: microfocus fluoroscopy – a great tool for
electrode development. 6th Asia Pacific
Symposium on Cochlear Implants and
KEVIN
Potential Bionic Eye recipient and Chair of Vision Australia, Kevin Murfitt
has been totally blind since his early twenties, but with an active optic
nerve, he could benefit from an implant.
35
EDUCATION
Bionic Ear Institute research staff are actively
involved in the supervision of PhD and Honours
students. Students contribute significantly to the
research conducted at The Bionic Ear Institute.
PhD Students
A number of students are undertaking their PhD studies
at The Bionic Ear Institute in collaboration with enrolling
Universities. The students enrolled in the 07/08 year include:
Andre Peterson – The Neurodynamics of Eplilepsy.
Dept of Electrical Engineering, The University of Melbourne.
Supervisors: Prof. Anthony Burkitt; Dr David Grayden; Prof.
Iven Mareels; Prof. Mark Cook; Dr Hamish Meffin and Dr
Levin Kuhlmann. (Australian Postgraduate Award I)
Daniel Taft - Travelling wave delays for the cochlear
implant. Dept of Otolaryngology & Dept of Electrical
Engineering, The University of Melbourne. Supervisors:
Dr David Grayden and Prof. Anthony Burkitt. (Elizabeth
& Vernon Puzey Posgraduate Research Scholarship- Faculty
of Engineering, The University of Melbourne)
David Perry - Plastic reorganisation of the central
auditory pathway with cochlear implant use. Dept of
Otolaryngology, The University of Melbourne. Supervisors:
Dr James Fallon, Prof. Rob Shepherd, Prof. Hugh
McDermott (Melbourne Research Scholarship)
Dean Freestone - Epileptic Seizure Prediction and the
Dynamics of the Electrical Fields of the Brain. Dept
of Electrical Engineering, The University of Melbourne.
Supervisors: Dr David Grayden, Prof. Anthony Burkitt,
Prof. Mark Cook; Dr Levin Kuhlmann and Prof. Iven Mareels.
(Australian Postgraduate Award I)
36
Jacqueline Andrew - Protecting the Auditory Nerve
with Encapsulated Neuroprotective Cells. Dept of
Prof. Rob Shepherd; Dr Bryony Coleman; and Prof. Richard
Dowell. (NH&MRC Dora Lush Biomedical Postgraduate
Research Scholarship and a Harold Mitchell Postgraduate
Student Travelling Fellowship)
Matthew Gilson – Learning in biological neural networks:
Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity and emergence of
functional pathways. Dept of Electrical Engineering, The
University of Melbourne. Supervisors: Prof. Anthony Burkitt,
Dr David Grayden, Dr Doreen Thomas. (NICTA)
Michael Eager – Modelling Neural Networks in the
cochlear nucleus. Dept of Otolaryngology, The University
of Melbourne. Supervisors: Dr David Grayden and Prof.
Anthony Burkitt. (Melbourne Research Scholarship)
Mohit Shivdasani – Multichannel electrophysiology
in the auditory brainstem and midbrain- new insights
for penetrating auditory brainstem implants. LaTrobe
University. Assoc. Prof. Tony Paolini and Mr Graeme
Rathbone. (Australian Postgraduate Award and a
Harold Mitchell Postgraduate Student Travelling Fellowship)
Stefan Mauger – Stimulation Strategies for Auditory
Brainstem Implants auditory brainstem implants.
LaTrobe University. Assoc. Prof. Tony Paolini and Mr Graeme
Rathbone. (Australian Postgraduate Award; Information
and Communication Technology Scholarship (ICT);
Commercialisation Training Scheme Scholarship (CTS); and a
Harold Mitchell Postgraduate Student Travelling Fellowship)
Tom Landry – Functional effects of exogenous
neurotrophins in the deafened cochlea. Dept of
Prof. Rob Shepherd; Dr Andrew Wise and Dr James Fallon.
(The Bartholomew Reardon PhD Scholarship- The Bionic
Ear Institute)
Honours Students
Three Bachelor of Science students completed their
Honours year at the end of 2007. They were enrolled through
the Department of Otolaryngology and were supervised by
Bionic Ear Institute staff.
Alison Evans – Promoting and maintaining spiral
ganglion neuron survival using polypyrrole/BDNF
coated electrodes.
Supervisor: Dr Rachael Richardson.
Currently: Employed as a Research Assistant,
The Bionic Ear Institute.
Patrick Atkinson – Gene Transfer for promoting nerve
survival after deafness.
Supervisor: Dr Rachael Richardson.
Currently: Employed as a Research Assistant, Department
of Biology at The University of Iowa, USA.
Stephanie Misalis – SGN regeneration using
genetically modified Schwann cells that over-express
neurotrophic factors.
Supervisor: Dr Lisa Pettingill
Currently: Travelling in Europe.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
is a scheme designed to give undergraduate students an
early opportunity to experience real life in a research laboratory
and gain insight into careers in biomedical research.
Students undertake a project which is part of the research
program of a biomedical research laboratory. They are
supervised by a research scientist in a mentoring role and
work alongside other research staff and students in the team.
The Bionic Ear Institute participates in this Bio21
Cluster managed program by providing placement for
students selected for UROP. This year we have had
4 UROP participants.
Holly Kong, a Bachelor of Applied Science student from
RMIT was supervised by Dr Anita Quigley and completed
her UROP placement at the Bionic Ear Institute in November
2007. Her project at the Bionic Ear Institute involved neural
differentiation on conducting polymers and characterisation
of transcriptional changes during neural differentiation.
Catriona Wimberley an electrical engineering student at
Swinburne University completed her UROP placement
under the supervision of Dr James Fallon at the Bionic Ear
Institute in December 2007. Catriona’s research placement
involved investigating the cochleotopic organisation of the
auditory cortex of neonatally deafened animals in response
to electrical stimulation provided by the cochlear implant.
Currently completing his Bachelor of Biomedical Science
degree at the University of Melbourne, Michael Giummarra
began his part-time research position with The Bionic Ear
Institute as part of the UROP in December 2007. Michael
is currently examining at the effects of chronic electrical
stimulation, like that provided by a cochlear implant, on
the cochlear nucleus. Working under the supervision of
Dr James Fallon his project aims to address the changes
in volume seen in the cochlear nucleus.
James Laird, a final year electrical engineering student at
the University of Melbourne, is also currently participating
in UROP. James is working on a prototype data collection
device, designed to be carried by patients and used to
record events such as epileptic seizures. The prototype is to
be a device similar in size to a small MP3 player, so that it is
convenient to carry all day, making it easier for patients to
integrate into their lives. Under the supervision of Dr David
Grayden, researchers at the University of Melbourne and
The Bionic Ear Institute decided to explore the possibility
of building an electronic seizure diary.
37
SUPPORTING
OUR
RESEARCH
Human Resources Unit
Research Office
The primary aims of the HR unit are to attract and retain
high quality research and professional staff and to provide
staff with professional development and rewards which
support and promote continuous improvement and
learning. The Unit ensures that the Institute complies with
the statutory obligations in the area of employment and
industrial law and supports the direction of the Institute
through the development and implementation of policies
and processes.
The Research Office assists in the process of preparing
grant applications, submitting applications for new grants
and managing the ongoing administration of all grants,
which includes routine scientific and financial reporting.
The Research Office is also responsible for completing
government surveys related to research activities, managing
licenses and compliance matters related to research.
In 2007/2008 the HR Unit co-ordinated a pilot Mentor
Program with the aim of increasing communication across
the organization, enhancing the retention and transfer of
skills knowledge and improving the skills and confidence
levels of both mentors and their mentorees. Over the
past 12 months the Institute continued to attract and
recruit quality candidates in a number of research and
administrative areas and ongoing policy development
ensured the Institute’s commitment to providing a safe,
harmonious, supportive and productive environment.
This year, we were successful in our application to the
National Institutes of Health (USA) investigating “The effects
of intracochlear electrical stimulation on neural survival
and connectivity”. Professor Rob Shepherd is the Principal
Investigator on this grant, heading a team of researchers
both from the BEI and collaborating organisations. Dr Justin
Tan was awarded a Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams
Memorial Foundation project grant, entitled ”Identifying
neurotrophin processing as a potential target to treat
sensorineural hearing loss.” We hope to add to this
success in the coming year.
Intellectual Property & Commercialisation
Information Resources Centre
The Calvert-Jones Information Resources Centre, located on
the 3rd floor in Mollison House, provides research support
to staff and students. The centre has a book and journal
collection as well as access to electronic databases.
Services provided include locating and delivering information
not available onsite, such as journal articles, conference
proceedings and books, and compiling and storing research
undertaken by the BEI. The Centre also co-ordinates staff
research skills training, for example searching electronic
databases and software programs.
The BEI’s archival collection is stored and managed at the
IRC and consists of documents and items such as early
cochlear implants.
38
The Bionic Ear Institute considers the research and
the associated intellectual property (IP) generated by
its researchers to be of great importance and value.
The Institute is committed to working together with all
staff to ensure that intellectual property, such as patents
and trademarks, is identified, protected and managed
so that staff can be appropriately rewarded for their
research endeavours.
The Bionic Ear Institute is currently in collaboration with
other research organisations, universities and industry in
order to produce the clinical and commercial outcomes
to benefit those in the community that would be aided
by medical bionic devices such as people with a hearing
impairment, epilepsy or spinal cord injury.
Postgraduate Student Coordination
Information Technology
Students comprise nearly a quarter of our researchers; the
majority are PhD students, but we also welcome Honours
and Masters Students. Postgraduate students contribute
significantly to our scientific success and the Institute
actively seeks high calibre people who demonstrate
initiative and independent thought. The main objectives
of this function are to i) provide information to prospective
postgraduate students on application procedures, research
programs and support services and ii) provide support to
current postgraduate students undertaking research at
The Bionic Ear Institute.
The Bionic Ear Institute’s research activities have an
increasing demand for Information Technology support.
The IT team provides an important service to Institute staff
which includes: webpage updating; providing support for
about 100 software packages; improving communications;
ordering and installing computers and software; securing
data storage and database support.
Public Relations and Fundraising
The Public Relations and Fundraising team plays an
important role in promoting the work of The Bionic Ear
Institute to the community and to raise much needed funds
for our research programs. Our team is responsible for the
communications and fundraising programs including mail
appeals, newsletters, partnerships, events and the volunteer
ambassador program.
During 2007/2008 media highlights included coverage on
the ABC’s 7:30 Report, featuring the Institute’s work, in
collaboration with our partners, to develop a Bionic Eye.
Our volunteer ambassadors made 27 presentations to
community groups throughout Victoria, including to Rotary
International District 9790 clubs who supported the Institute
as their chosen charity for the year. The Institute was also
the chosen charity for the 2008 Point Nepean Musical
Festival and we had an overwhelming response from
supporters, volunteers and staff to help sell guitar pins at
this event, raising $7000.
Major projects over this past year have included:
• Upgrading firewall/Network switches for maximum
security and improved network performance.
• Installing new 16TB Storage solution – to accommodate
research activities that produce large amounts of data.
• Moving servers on to virtualised platform to help
consolidate all virtual servers on to one physical server.
• Establishing wireless access.
Finance
The Board of the Bionic Ear Institute has established a
Finance & Risk Management Committee. The primary role
of this Committee is to monitor and review, on behalf of the
Board, the effectiveness of the control environment of the
Institute in the areas of operational and balance sheet risk,
legal/regulatory compliance and financial reporting.
The Board have also delegated to an Investment Committee
the responsibility to supervise, monitor and evaluate the
Institute’s investments and funds in an effective manner.
The Finance department for The Bionic Ear Institute
is charged with the responsibility of supporting the
organisation with its financial and regulatory responsibilities.
The department also fulfills a similar role for its major
research collaborations, which include Bionic Technologies
Australia and until the end of 2007, the CRC HEAR.
39
BOARD
MEMBERS
Gerald Edward Moriarty AM
BE (Hons), CPEng,
FIEAust, FTSE, FAICD
Chairman
Jack Smorgon AO
Advanced Management Diploma
Vice-Chairman
Brian Jamieson
FCA
Director & Honorary Treasurer
James Alexander Angus
BSc, PhD, FAA
Director
John Alexander Bryson
BMechEng, MBA (Melb),
Director
Kathleen Dorothy Jordan
BA (Psych)
Director
Iven Mareels
ir (Ghent), PhD (ANU), FTSE,
FIEEE, FIEAust, CPEng, MSIAM
Director
Jennifer Mary Louis Prescott
Director
(until November 2007)
Field Winston Rickards
BSc, MEd (Manc), PhD
Director
Li Cunxin
Director
40
EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS
Professor Robert Shepherd
BSc, DipEd, PhD
Director
Ms Linda Peterson
BSc,GradCertBusAdm
Executive Officer
Professor Anthony Burkitt
BSc (Hons), PhD
Assistant Director
Mr Tim Griffiths
BBus, GradCert Export, MBT
General Manager
Mr Peter Gover
BCompt(Hons),
CA, CPA, ICAA
Chief Financial Officer
Solicitors
Russell Kennedy
12/469 La Trobe St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Freehills
101 Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Auditors
Ernst & Young
120 Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
41
STAFF
MEMBERS
Director
BSc, DipEd, PhD
Founder and
Director Emeritus
Laureate Emeritus Professor
Graeme M Clark AC
FRS, FAA, FTSE, FAAS,
MB, BS, MS,
PhD (Sydney), FRCS
(Edinburgh), FRCS
(England), FRACS,
Hon MD (Hannover),
Hon MD (Sydney),
Hon DSc (Wollongong),
Hon DEng (CYC Taiwan),
Hon LLD (Monash),
Hon FAudSA, Hon FRCS
(England)
Assistant Directors
Professor Anthony Burkitt
BSc(Hons), PhD
(on secondment)
Professor Stephen O’Leary
MBBS, BMedSc, PhD,
FRACS*
(until April 2008)
General Manager, Associate
Director and Company
Secretary
Mr Tim Griffiths
BBus, GradCertExport,
GradDip (MarLogMgt), MBT
42
Chief Executive Officer,
Bionic Technologies
Australia
Associate Professor
Jim Patrick
BSc, MSc
Dr Russell Tait
BPharm, MPharm, PhD, MBA
Professor David Ryugo
PhD
Associate Professor
Anthony Paolini
BSc(Hons), MPsych
(ClinNeuro),
PhD, MAPS
Chief Financial Officer
Associate Professor
Peter Seligman
BE, PhD
Associate Professor
Chis Williams
BSc, MSc(Hons), PhD
Executive Officer
Dr Tong Yit Chow
BE, PhD
Dr Michael Tykocinski
MD, FRACS
Ms Linda Peterson
BSc, GradCertBusAdm
Professor Gordon Wallace
DSc, FTSE
Research Fellows
Honorary Special
Research Fellows
Dr Ben Wei
MB, BS, PhD
Professor Peter Blamey
BSc(Hons), PhD, GAICD
Mr Graeme Rathbone
MEng Sc, MIE Aust,
CP Eng (Biomed)
Mr Peter Gover
BCompt(Hons), CA, CPA, ICAA
Professor Mark Cook
MBBS, FRACP, MD
Associate Professor
Robert Cowan
BSc(Hons), MSc, MBA,
PhD, DipAud,
GrCertHlthEcon,
GrDipTechMgt,
FAudSA(CCP), FAAA, GAICD*
Professor Richard Dowell
BSc, DipAud,
FAud SA (CCP), PhD*
Dr David Grayden
BE(Hons), BSc, PhD*
Professor Hugh McDermott
BAppSc, PhD*
Professor Stephen O’Leary
MBBS, BMedSc,
PhD, FRACS*
Dr Sean Byrnes
BSc/BA, PhD
Dr James Fallon
BE(Hons), BSc, PhD
Dr David Nayagam
BSc/Eng(Hons), PhD
Professorial
Research Fellow
Dr Lisa Pettingill
BSc(Hons), PhD
Professor Dexter Irvine
BA(Hons), PhD, FASSA
Dr Anita Quigley
BSc(Hons), PhD
Senior Program Adviser,
Bionic Technologies
Australia
Dr Rachael Richardson
BSc(Hons), PhD
Professor Roy
Robins-Browne
MB, BCh, PhD, DTM&H,
FRCPath, FRCPA, FASM*
Senior Research Fellows
Associate Professor
Robert Kapsa
BSc(Hons), PhD, DipFM
Dr Justin Tan
BSc(Hons), DipEd, MSc,
Dr rer nat
Dr Chris Trengove
BSc(Hons), PhD
Dr Richard van Hoesel
BE(Hons), PhD
Dr Andrew Wise
BSc(Hons), PhD
Dr Jin Xu
MD, MMed, DipRad, MIR
Visiting Research Fellows
Professor Simon Hawkins
PhD
Professor of Health Sciences
University of Canberra
(On sabbatical)
Dr Matthew TrotterTWJ Fellow
MBChB, MRCS, FRCS
(ORL-HNS), M Clin Sci
Dr Fergal Glynn
MD, BCh, BAO, LRCP & SI
(Hons) AFRCSI
Research Engineers
Mr Mark Harrison
BE(Comm),
GrDipDigCompEng
Ms Alison Evans
BSc (Hons)
(from October 2007)
Ms Brianna Flynn
BSc (Hons),
DipLabTech(BioTech)
Ms Nicole Fretwell
BSc (Hons)
(until August 2007)
Ms Kylie Magee
BSc (Hons)
(from September 2007)
Ms Meera Ulaganathan
BSc (Hons)
(from March 2008)
Ms Dimitra Stathopoulos
BSc, DipAppSc
Mr Rodney Millard
DipElecEng*
Ms Magda Kita
BSc(Hons)
Mr Tim Nelson
BSc, BEng (Hons),
MIET,MEA,MEWBA
Mr Hamish Innes-Brown
BCogSci(Hons)
Mr Frank Nielsen*
Electronic &
CommunTechCert*
Ms Elizabeth Kennedy
BSc, MSc
Ms Amy Halliday
BSc(Hons)
Mr Mohit Shivdasani
MEng(BioMed),
BEng(BioMed)
Mr Alan Lai
MEngSc(BiomedEng)
(Cwk&MinThes)
Mr Andrew Vandali
BE(Comm)
Audiologists
Research Manager
Dr David Lawrence
BAppSc, PhD
(until December 2007)
Research Officer
Ms Anne Coco
BSc(Hons)
(From January 2008)
Research Assistants
Ms Rebecca Argent
BSc
Ms Ayla Barutchu
BBehavSc (Hons)
Ms Anne Coco
BSc(Hons)
Ms Jasmine Mar
BSc(Hons), MClinAud,
MAudSA(CCP)
(until March 2008)
Ms Alison Hennessy
BSc,MSc,DipAud
(on secondment)*
Technical Assistant
Ms Lianne Salerno
Dip Animal Technology
(from August 2007)
Mr Matthieu Gilson
M Elec Eng, BEng
Mr Andre Peterson
BSc(Hons)
Mr Daniel Taft
BEng(Elec)Hons, BSc
Human Resources Officer
Ms Susanne Clarke
BA(Psych)
Public Relations &
Fundraising Manager
Mr Dean Freestone
BBiomedE(Hons)
Ms Estelle Hajigabriel
BArts
(until May 2008))
Mr Mohit Shivdasani
MEng(BioMed),
BEng(BioMed)
Acting Public Relations
& Fundraising Manager
Mr Stefan Mauger
B.Eng (Hons)
Mr Tom Landry
BSc(Hons)
Mr David Perry
BE (Hons), BSc
Mrs Glenis Cook
(from June 2008)
Major Gifts Coordinator
Ms Helen Woods
BAAS EMBA
Donor Liaison Officer
Honours Students
Mrs Glenis Cook
Mr Patrick Atkinson
Department of Otolaryngology,
The University of Melbourne
Public Relations &
Fundraising Assistants
Ms Alison Evans
Ms Stephanie Misalis
Undergraduate Research
Opportunities Program
Michael Giumarra
Holly Kong
(Until November 2007)
Ms Nicole Saccaro
Ms Kathleen Parer
Personal Assistant
to the Director
Ms Kristal Smith
BAppSci
Executive Officer - CRC
Ms Treacy Block
Administrative Staff
James Laird
Mr Anthony McGregor
BComm
Catriona Wimberley
(Until December 2007)
Ms Pauline Graafmans
(until November 2007)
Manager
Ms Rosie Marsicovetere
Adv Dip Accounting
(from December 2007)
Mr Stas Surowiecki
DipNetEng & MCP
Librarian
Post Graduate
Research Students
Officer
Mr Paul Quilty
BBus, MBus(IT)
Mr Matthew Eager
BSc(Hons)
Mr Andrew Purnama
B App Sci (IT)
(From December 2007)
Receptionists
Ms Jacqueline Andrew
BSc(Hons)
Mrs Eleanor Leaupepe
Mrs Gabrielle Lemoyne
* Employed by the University
of Melbourne
43
TREASURER’S
REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2008
A summarised financial report for The Bionic Ear Institute
for the year ended 30 June 2008 is presented in this annual
report on the following page.
This has been another successful financial year for the
Institute achieving a surplus on continuing operations of
$74,128, in what was considered a period of economic
turbulence in Australia. After including realised gains on
the disposal of investments, the surplus for the full year
was $225,495.
44
The Institute was particularly pleased to be granted a further
5 year research contract by the National Institutes of Health
in the United States; totalling US $ 2.9 million. This together
with other overseas funding we receive through the Stavros
Niarchos Foundation and The Royal National Institute for
Deaf People in the United Kingdom, demonstrates the
Institute’s growing international reputation.
There was a moderate increase in total expenditure of 6%
over the previous year, which is attributable to an increase
in research activity, and some consulting costs incurred in
developing the Institute’s long-term strategic direction.
There was a 5% increase in revenue from the previous year.
While this appears to be a modest number, it is particularly
pleasing as the Institute has managed to diversify its
income sources, by reducing its dependence on Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) funding. For the first time,
private trusts and foundations have become the largest
source of funding at $1.8 million over the year. Specific
acknowledgment of the generosity of these organisations
is highlighted throughout the annual report.
The Institute was not untouched by the recent collapse
of world equity markets, as a significant part of its
accumulated reserves is invested in this manner. In spite
of the 15 % drop in the Australian equity market over
the 2007/8 period, dividends earnings continued to be
strong, minimising the impact on the Institute’s earnings.
Nevertheless as a result, Institute funds, which includes
accumulated surpluses and funds designated for specific
research projects, decreased over the last year.
The Victorian State Government contributed $1.3 million
to the Institute over the last year, and continues to be an
important source of research funding, which is evidence of
their strong commitment to Innovation. A significant portion
of this research funding is through a Science Technology
Innovation grant which resulted in the formation of Bionic
Technologies Australia, which is a collaborative venture
between The Bionic Ear Institute, St Vincent’s Hospital
(Melbourne), CSIRO, and The University of Wollongong.
The Victorian State Government also provides infrastructure
funding through the Operational Infrastructure Support
Program. Operational Infrastructure Support funding helps
the Institute put in place the necessary infrastructure to
support its research.
I remain confident that the Institute has a solid financial
basis to grow its research capacity into the future.
Brian Jamieson, FCA
Honorary Treasurer
SUMMARISED
FINANCIAL
REPORT
INCOME STATEMENT
YEAR ENDED 30 June 2008
2008
$
2007
$
CONTINUING OPERATIONS INCOME
Revenue from continuing operations
6,629,822 6,328,607
EXPENDITURE
Employee benefits expense Consultant fees
Conference events expenses
( 4,242,063)
( 4,223,047)
( 356,492 )
( 262,344)
( 61,609 )
( 248,995)
Property and facilities expenses ( 122,813 )
( 131,211)
Depreciation and amortisation expense ( 345,845 )
( 292,884)
Fundraising activities ( 168,050 )
( 208,658)
Research consumables ( 509,865 )
( 446,586)
Research contributions to collaborators
( 265,000 )
-
Intellectual property and legal expenses
( 85,254 )
( 46,913)
Interest paid Other expenses from continuing operations TOTAL EXPENDITURE
SURPLUS FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
( 89 )
( 3,333)
( 398,614 )
( 327,270)
( 6,555,694 )
( 6,191,241)
74,128
137,366
Profit on disposal of shares
151,367 1,592,767
SURPLUS FROM TOTAL OPERATIONS 225,495 1,730,133
2008
$
2007
$
Net gain/(loss) on available for-sale financial assets ( 3,398,953)
553,462
NET INCOME RECOGNISED DIRECTLY TO EQUITY
( 3,398,953)
553,462
225,495 1,730,133
( 3,173,458)
2,283,595
STATEMENT OF RECOGNISED INCOME & EXPENSES
Surplus for the year recognised in the income statement TOTAL RECOGNISED INCOME & EXPENSES FOR THE PERIOD BEI ANNUAL REPORT 07-08
45
SUMMARISED FINANCIAL REPORT (CONTINUED)
BALANCE SHEET
2008
$
2007
$
CURRENT ASSETS Cash assets 2,486,065 2,030,468
Receivables 1,837,308 1,388,245
Prepayments
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 78,168 107,976
4,401,541 3,526,689
NON-CURRENT ASSETS Other financial assets
13,762,727 17,390,552
2,763,218 2,836,122
TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS 16,525,945 20,226,674
TOTAL ASSETS 20,927,486 23,753,363
Property, plant and equipment CURRENT LIABILITIES Payables 695,913 340,721
Provisions 674,704 649,234
1,370,617 989,955
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES Provisions 139,561 TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES TOTAL LIABILITIES NET ASSETS 172,642
139,561 172,642
1,510,178 1,162,597
19,417,308 22,590,766
INSTITUTE FUNDS 8,643,530 12,435,874
Accumulated funds Reserves 10,773,778 10,154,892
TOTAL INSTITUTE FUNDS 19,417,308 22,590,766
AUDIT REPORT
To the Members of The Bionic Ear Institute
We have audited the attached Balance Sheet of The Bionic Ear Institute as at 30 June, 2008 and the Income Statement, and
Statement of Recognised Income & Expenses for the year then ended, in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards.
In our opinion, the information reported in this summarised financial report is consistent with the annual statutory financial
report from which it is derived and upon which we expressed an unqualified audit opinion. For a better understanding of the
scope of our audit, this report should be read in conjunction with our audit report on the annual statutory financial report.
Ernst & Young Melbourne, September 2008 46
R. Bruce Dungey
Partner
Our medical research would not be possible without these wonderful
contributions over the past year. We acknowledge the support from
the following estates, charitable trusts, foundations and donors.
Bequests
$5,000 - $9,999
The Estate of the late Mrs June Mansson
Hilton White Bequest.
John T Reid Charitable Trusts
Macquarie Group Foundation
The Garnett Passe & Rodney Williams
Memorial Foundation
The Ian Potter Foundation
Robert Albert AO RFD RD
Christine Brown
Heymanson Family Foundation
Nell & Hermon Slade Trust
Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE
Mr Baillieu Myer
State Trustees
The Calvert-Jones Foundation
The Corio Foundation
$50,000 - $149,999
$1,000 - $4,999
Jack & Robert Smorgon Families
Foundation
Soma Health Pty Ltd
Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Tattersall’s George Adams Foundation
The Marian & E H Flack Trust
The Royal National Institute for
Deaf People (RNID UK)
Victorian Lions Foundation Inc
Mr L J Cohn
Mrs Pamela DeSauty
Wes & Jane Dunn
Eric Ormond Baker Charitable Fund
managed by Equity Trustees Limited
Escor Group
Mr Arthur Foster
Mr & Mrs A R Gardner
Miss Helen Glascodine
Ms Joan Grant
Mrs Barbara Haynes
Mrs June Hilliar
Gerry Moriarty AM & Sue Moriarty
Peter & Sally Redlich
John & Marlene Redmond
Michael Robinson AO & Judith Robinson
Mobil Distress Fund
Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital
Mrs Joan White PSM
The Blackley Foundation
The William Angliss (Victoria)
Charitable Foundation
Mr Ian Young
$150,000 plus
$20,000 - $49,999
Percy Baxter Charitable Trust
Robert C Bulley Charitable Fund
Helen McPherson Smith Trust
Hilton White Bequest
Trust Company as trustee for the
Frederick & Winifred Grassick
Memorial Fund
$10,000 - $19,999
Miss Betty Amsden OAM
Harold Mitchell Foundation
Mr & Mrs G J & M A Jorgenson
Bruce Parncutt and Robin Campbell
Pierce Armstrong Trust
The Sunshine Foundation
Victorian Foundation for the Promotion
of Oral Education of the Deaf managed
by ANZ Trustees Limited
$250 - $999
All Green Nursery & Garden Supplies
Apex Club – Hoppers Crossing
Gordon & Irene Baddeley
Mr V J Bertram
Mr & Mrs E & D Bourke
Mr & Mrs C J Brown
Mrs Marion Brown
Mrs Diana Browning
Mr Bruce Cahoon
Mrs J M Cassell
Dr K S Crowley
Dr David Dunn & Mrs Anne Dunn
Mr John Forsyth
Ms Val Gallahawk
Mr Peter Gover
Mrs Laurie Gwillim
Mr Ivor Johnson
Stephen & Jenny Kernahan
Mrs Helen Lusher
Mr Ronald McKinnon
Dominic & Mary Marozzi
Professor David Penington AC
Mr & Mrs W J Stevens
Mrs Yvonne Sullivan
Texi Pty Ltd
Mr & Mrs Peter Thomas
Miss Joan Williams
Sir Edward Woodward AC OBE
We are grateful to all the other
individuals and companies, particularly
our monthly givers, who donated and
supported us throughout the year.
Your contributions to our medical
research programs make a difference.
Major Partner
Woodards
Corporate Partners
Carrier Air Conditioning Pty Ltd
City of Booroondara
Corporate Image Design Pty Ltd
Macquarie Group Limited
Principals
Russell Kennedy Pty Ltd
Community Partners
Rotary International District 9790
Redmond Family
AMBASSADORS & VOLUNTEERS
Our very grateful thanks to all our
ambassadors and volunteers, supported
by their families, who have worked
tirelessly throughout the year to help
raise funds and promote the Institute.
We also wish to make a special thank
you to all our supporters, their families
and friends, who generously helped
over Easter weekend at the 2008 Point
Nepean Music Festival.
Without the enthusiasm and generosity
of all our volunteers and ambassadors
our public relations and fundraising
activities would not be possible.
47
HOW CAN YOU
SUPPORT THE
BIONIC EAR
INSTITUTE?
The Bionic Ear Institute’s research activities are in four major
themes: (i) work with cochlear implants to improve speech
processing, musical appreciation and drug delivery in the
inner ear; (ii) developing a Bionic Eye in collaboration with
our research partners; (iii) targeted drug delivery systems
and (iv) brain implants for a range of illnesses such epilepsy,
Parkinson’s Disease and spinal cord injury.
If you wish to make a donation to a specific research
program or establish a postgraduate scholarship we would
be happy to honour your request.
Donations
Donations to The Bionic Ear Institute over $2.00 are
tax deductible and payment can be made by:
• Cheque – made payable to The Bionic Ear Institute
• Credit card – phone 03 9667 7500 or fax 03 9667 7518
• On line – via the free online donation service,
Our Community, www.ourcommunity.com.au
Regular Giving
By making a regular monthly commitment to The Bionic
Ear Institute you can help support long term research.
You can set up your tax deductible gift from as little as
$10 per month (33 cents a day) using automatic credit card
payments. The donation can be changed or cancelled at
any time.
48
Bequests
Leaving a bequest is a wonderful practical way of helping to
make a real difference to people’s lives. All bequests, large
and small, contribute significantly to our important medical
research programs and will help many children and adults
enjoy a better quality of life.
Please contact us to obtain a copy of our Bequest brochure
or to discuss, in confidence, leaving a bequest in your Will.
Memorial Gifts
A memorial gift is a thoughtful way to honour the memory
of a loved one, and at the same time help someone in the
future. The Bionic Ear Institute welcomes memorial gifts
and can provide personalised memorial giving forms for
distribution at a funeral or memorial service.
To obtain more information on donations, memorial
gifts and bequests please contact our Public Relations
and Fundraising Manager on 03 9667 7500 or email
enquiries@bionicear.org
Design Nuttshell Graphics
OUR VISION
OUR MISSION
THE
BIONIC EAR
INSTITUTE
07 08
22nd Annual Report
2007-2008
384-388 Albert Street
East Melbourne Victoria 3002 Australia
T +61 3 9667 7500 F +61 3 9667 7518
E enquiries@bionicear.org
W www.bionicear.org
ABN 56 006 580 883
ACN 006 580 883

THE BIONIC EAR INSTITUTE

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