Innovation lies at the heart of the Bionics Institute and our researchers are supported to explore innovative research ideas.
Early-stage seed funding is crucial to enable researchers to investigate new ideas that could lead to groundbreaking treatments for patients. It provides the financial support needed to conduct preliminary research.
We have set up a Bionics Incubator Fund (BIF) to provide the seed funding our researchers need to gather essential data and refine their hypotheses. Without this vital support, many promising solutions might never get off the ground, delaying the development of life-saving treatments and innovations to improve patient outcomes.
Our rheumatoid arthritis device, which is about to go to clinical trial, started as a BIF project. And there are many other vital research projects being supported by early-stage funding, including:
A drug-free approach to relieve chronic pain
Chronic pain affects a staggering 1 in 4 people worldwide. Opioids, commonly prescribed for pain conditions, give inconsistent and often inadequate relief of symptoms, and can lead to serious side-effects, addiction, and overdose.
Thanks to seed funding from The CASS Foundation, Associate Professor Rachael Richardson and her team have started developing a treatment that uses a combination of electricity and light to provide drug-free management of chronic pain. It works by selectively stimulating nerve activity to mask the pain and provide desperately needed relief.
The success of this research could revolutionise the way we interact with the nervous system repetition and help those suffering from chronic pain.
The CASS Foundation is delighted with the preliminary findings of the Bionics Institute’s research into a novel stimulation technique that aims to give unprecedented control over the transmission of pain signals to the brain. David Abraham AM Chair, The CASS Foundation
A new electrical stimulation treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy
Epilepsy affects an estimated 150,000 Australians, with a third continuing to have seizures despite medication. Current treatments for epilepsy include drug therapy, surgery and vagus nerve stimulation at neck level – treatments which can cause unpleasant side effects and may not be suitable for all patients.
With positive preliminary findings, and thanks to significant early-stage funding from a generous foundation, lead researcher Dr Tomoko Hyakumura is now able to move forward with evaluating the effectiveness of abdominal vagus nerve stimulation to reduce the frequency and severity of seizures without the side effects caused by current treatments.
I’m grateful for the opportunity BIF gave me to work on an early-stage research project I’m passionate about, investigating a new electric nerve therapy for epilepsy. With all the resources available at the Bionics Institute, I feel very well supported and the research we do is of the highest quality. Dr Tomoko Hyakumura, Research Fellow, Bionics Institute
Bionics Institute researchers need your help to make their groundbreaking ideas a reality. Your donation towards the Bionics Incubator Fund today, could turn the seed of an idea into a new life-changing treatment in the future.
