Biomedical Science

Advancing lung cancer diagnostics with phase-contrast X-ray imaging – Lucy Costello

2026 Research Spotlight, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, Research /

Lung cancer in Australia Lung cancer is one of Australia’s biggest killers. It is the fourth-most commonly diagnosed cancer and has the highest mortality rate of any cancer. Early detection is crucial, but current diagnostic methods face significant limitations. Current imaging techniques The first step in lung cancer diagnostics is a chest X-ray, a two-dimensional […]

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A targeted approach to treating glioblastoma – Meaghan Ashton

2026 Research Spotlight, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, Research /

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of brain cancer. Despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, prognosis remains poor, highlighting the urgent need for more precise and effective treatment strategies. Targeted radionuclide therapies (TRTs) offer a promising new approach by delivering highly potent radiation directly to cancer cells while minimising

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How an ancient marine species could unlock clues to human health – Jennifer Tinker

2025 Research Spotlight, Pathway /

AINSE Pathway scholar Jennifer Tinker is uncovering the secrets of Trichoplax adhaerens—an ancient, radiation-resistant marine organism—and what its resilience could mean for future advancements in human health, space exploration, and cancer biology. Jennifer’s Honours research, conducted in collaboration with La Trobe University and ANSTO, investigates how Trichoplax adhaerens—one of the simplest known forms of multicellular

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Building the safety blueprint for future Moon missions

2025 Research Spotlight, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, PGRA, Research /

By Georgia Barrington-Smith Have you ever wondered what the main risks of space travel are? Hollywood films like The Martian and Apollo 13 often portray the dramatic risks of space travel, such as mechanical failures, life support issues, and unpredictable space weather. However, as astronauts journey far from home, venturing into the cold, unforgiving vacuum

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Beyond Conventional X-rays: Recovering Multimodal Signals with an Intrinsic Speckle-Tracking Approach

2025 Research Spotlight, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, PGRA /

By Georgia Barrington-Smith & Dr Rebecca Duncan For decades, conventional X-rays have been invaluable in clinical settings, enabling doctors and radiographers to gain critical insights into patients’ health. While traditional X-rays are still widely used, they are limited in the depth of information they can provide. New, advanced multimodal techniques, like phase-shift and dark-field imaging,

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Flexible, organic X-ray sensors: Enabling the next generation of radiation therapy

2025 Research Spotlight, ECRG, Gold Medal, Uncategorized /

By Georgia Barrington-Smith & Dr Rebecca Duncan Medical radiation procedures, such as diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy, are critical in modern healthcare, providing life-saving detection and treatment tools for people suffering from diseases like cancer. Recent technological advancements have led to a new generation of radiotherapy treatments that promise to further enhance patient outcomes. Developing

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The battle between plant immunity and fungal infections: A microscopic arms race.

2025 Research Spotlight, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, PGRA, Research /

By Georgia Barrington-Smith & Dr Rebecca Duncan The agricultural industry is constantly under threat from fungal pathogens that infect important plant crops like tomatoes, bananas, and cotton. In response, plants have developed new defence mechanisms, fuelling an ongoing arms race against these invaders as they, in turn, develop new ways to circumvent these defences. How

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Fight against the fungus: Understanding the relationship between fungal pathogens and plant infection.

2025 Research Spotlight, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, PGRA, Research /

By Georgia Barrington-Smith & Dr Rebecca Duncan Ensuring our ongoing food availability in the face of a rising global population is a critical challenge. Infectious plant diseases pose a significant threat to our agricultural food production, costing the global economy around $220 billion USD each year. One particularly destructive disease is ‘blast disease’, which targets

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Tiny solutions to a big problem: Targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs using pH-responsive nanoparticles

2024 Research Spotlight, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, PGRA, Research, Research Spotlight /

By Georgia Barrington-Smith & Dr Rebecca Duncan Cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide, claiming the lives of millions of people each year. One of the first-line treatments of cancer is chemotherapy: powerful drugs that attack cancer cells and prevent their spread. Historically, the main drawback of chemotherapy drugs has

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Student Research Spotlight: Melanie Fuller

PGRA, Research /

As part of National Science Week 2019, we are highlighting some of the high-impact research being carried out by AINSE scholars. In the Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences research theme, Flinders University student and AINSE PGRA scholar Melanie Fuller is investigating how gold nanoparticles could be used in combination with antibiotics to combat multi-resistant bacterial infections. Understanding

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