Download - Commercialisation Brochure

Edith Cowan UniversityOffice of Research and Innovation

Commercialisation@ECUResearch making a difference

Edith Cowan University’s goal is the translation of cutting edge research into innovative products, processes and services to generate economic and societal benefits for the community, ECU researchers and the University”

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ContentsMessage from the Vice-Chancellor 2

Research@ECU: Focus and profile 3

Business and Society 4

Education 8

Electronic Engineering and ICT 12

Environment and Sustainability 16

Health and Wellness 20

Social and Community 28

Communications and Creative Arts 30

Security, Law and Justice 32

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF THE PROJECTS LISTED PLEASE CONTACT:Dr Marcia Taylor Director, Office of Research and Innovation T: 618 6304 5401 Email: [email protected]

Message from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, ResearchCutting-edge research underpins successful commercialisation outcomes and Edith Cowan University is committed to undertaking high-quality research which has strong social, economic, environmental and cultural impact.

In the current Knowledge Economy, Universities as major Centres of Learning and Research are important sources of ideas that can be turned into new Products, Processes and Systems. However those ideas will only show an economic return if they can be effectively applied by Industry. An Important element of the National Innovation System will be the quality of the linkages between Universities, Industries and Investors.

Research and Innovation at ECU reflects current trends in the national and international research environment which are characterised by the dual strategies of concentration and collaboration. Identifying the University’s areas of research strength has enabled a concentration of expertise, resources and effort. Collaboration and engagement are encouraged and as a result, ECU has a strong track record of linkages with local, national and international institutions, industry and community partners, and all levels of government.

Edith Cowan University has adopted a proactive approach to the commercialisation of its intellectual property during recent years with many positive outcomes. We have focused on building the internal processes and capacity, which has seen the commercialisation arm of the Office of Research and Innovation manage many successful commercialisation projects. Most notably, ECU was awarded winner of the 2007 West Australian Inventor of the Year in the Early Stage Category for the Optical Interconnect Technology – an invention providing high-speed data transmission using photonics. As evidenced in the ECU Annual Goals for 2008, commercialisation has been directly targeted for the first time, demonstrating ECU’s commitment to ‘Research that Makes a Difference’.

This publication showcases some the exciting new technologies in ECU’s commercialisation portfolio. It highlights the quality and depth of ECU Research and Innovation and its significant contribution to the human community we serve.

Professor John Finlay-Jones Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)

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Message from the Director, Office of Research and InnovationThe commercialisation arm of the Office of Research and Innovation serves as the catalyst between inventors and industry to support the creation and development of early stage technologies. The office itself is about three years old but in the last two years, has expanded the commercialisation portfolio from twelve projects to forty-two with some of the more advanced projects presented in this brochure.

Commercialisation is a by-product of a virtuous research cycle but neither research nor commercialisation happens by chance – both are a result of strategic thinking, effective policies, skilful execution and wise investing.

As a young commercialisation office, we strive to ensure that our processes are in line with best practice, to gradually build our research commercialisation capabilities and that we are strategic in our focus and investment and are responsive to real world problems and issues.

One of the key challenges facing commercialisation at Universities is the gap in funding required to bridge early stage research and venture capital or commercial investment. While the ultimate goal is to establish a pre-seed fund at ECU, in the interim, ECU has committed part of its internal funds to assist in bridging this gap. We have also forged relationships with key Business Angel and Venture Capital firms in Australia and overseas with the view to identifying potential sources of investment and co-investment to assist in the commercialisation of its technologies.

Key to the success of research commercialisation is building effective partnerships between Universities, Industry and Investors. To forge these links with Industry, engagement events and targeted Industry visits are organised regularly to showcase ECU’s innovative research outcomes and to foster collaboration and engagement. The University’s approach is differentiated, targeted and welcoming of quality collaborative partners.

We are proud of the world-class cutting-edge technologies developed at ECU and look forward to working with potential partners to progress the commercialisation of our innovations.

Dr Marcia Taylor Director, Office of Research and Innovation

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>>> Electronic Engineering and ICT

Engineering and ICTMicroPhotonics research at ECU is advancing electron and photon science and engineering and focusing on the development of integrated intelligent MicroPhotonic platforms for use in telecommunications, health, agriculture, consumer electronics, energy and security.

MicroPhotonics research is centred around several research programs – Opto-VLSI, high-speed optoelectronics, lightwave testing, nano-engineered materials and structures, RF-photonics, adaptive optics, remote sensing and reconfigurable systems.

Research in communications engineering includes signal and image processing, video and multimedia communications, network survivability and optical and wireless networking including quality and service issues.

Additional areas of expertise include software engineering, computer network and information security, intelligence systems and information and knowledge management.

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Optical Interconnect Technology (OIT)High speed interconnects for very short distance communications links

Winner 2007 WA Inventor of the Year Competition (Early Stage Category)

Fibre optic technology now dominates medium to long distance data communications links due to its greater overall bandwidth, immunity to electro-magnetic interference, and lower losses. However, the use of optical interconnects over very short distances has been limited by the available optical technology and the prohibitive cost in comparison to electrical technology.

The amount of data transferred electronically around the world is doubling every year, and conventional electrical interconnects are not capable of supporting future rates. As a result, the international computing, communications and semiconductor industries are actively looking for alternative solutions for board-to-board, chip-to-chip, and intra-chip interconnects.

The immediately addressable market for board-to-board and chip-to-chip optical interconnects is projected to reach USD 1 billion by 2011, with the use of high speed interconnects within and between high end computing and networking equipment.

The technology is highly scalable and also lends itself to widespread use within personal computers, consumer devices and cars, representing a multi-billion dollar interconnect market segments. In addition, intra-chip optical interconnects have the potential to become an essential technology for the USD 255 billion semiconductor industry over the coming five to ten years.

The technology is a significant step in the quest to “siliconize” photonics. The key advantages of the technology are its:

ability to be cost effectively produced; 1. very small size;2. ability to be integrated with micro-electronic (silicon) chips;3. low power consumption and thermal losses; and4. its ability to transmit data through glass fibre, plastic optical fibre, 5. polymer waveguides, or free space.

The technology has been jointly developed by the WA Centre of Excellence for MicroPhotonic Systems at ECU and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) In Korea. A proof of concept demonstrator has been successfully completed, and ECU and GIST jointly hold three patents related to the technology.

The manufacture and optimisation of a multi-channel demonstrator is currently underway. The next technical milestone is the development of a pre-production prototype.

A spin-out company is planned to exploit this business opportunity, and is expected to be investment ready in 2009.

Integrated Broadband RF-Digital LinkNovel software configurable chip for the digitization of broadband Radio Frequency signals

Finalist 2008 WA Inventor of the Year Competition (Early Stage Category)

The Square Kilometre Array Radio (SKA) Telescope, the largest global scientific project of its kind. More than 100 ‘dish array stations’ will collect more data in 6 hours than has ever been collected in the history of radioastronomy. The vast amount of data creates an incredible technical challenge – the conversion of massive amounts of radio waves into a digital format for transport and processing. Current methods being proposed are extremely expensive, have high power draw and result in “noisy” signals due to the transmission of analogue signals via fibre optics.

The technology, jointly developed by the WA Centre of Excellence for MicroPhotonic Systems and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), enables the conversion of broadband radio frequency (RF) signals into noise-free digital data. In addition, the invention is software programmable and therefore can be tuned remotely to suit the signal bandwidth being targeted by the SKA and any other application.

Another significant application of the technology is in wireless broadband networks. Rapid growth in the number of wireless broadband subscribers globally (500 million by 2011) and each subscriber’s demand for more data, has resulted in the next generation of wireless internet standards (4G) specifying download rates up to 200 times faster than 3G. However, current infrastructure is not capable of supporting this increased network traffic creating a need for new base station infrastructure.

Specifically, 4G technologies will require smart antennas that can support more subscribers within a wireless network cell and simultaneously increase the upload and download capacity available to each subscriber. However, the cost of upgrading the existing infrastructure and rolling out new infrastructure using currently available technology is substantial and there is a demand for technology that reduces capital and operating costs.

The estimated market for RF components used in base stations is over USD 1 billion. In addition, mobile base station shipments are expected to grow at a compound annual average growth rate of over 69% between 2008 and 2013 creating a significant opportunity for new technologies.

The key advantages of this technology are its:

reduced physical size (requiring less supporting infrastructure);6. high speed signal processing capability;7. significantly lower cost;8. lower power;9. software programmable (facilitating tuning and upgrading of 10. antennas); andability to support multiple 4G wireless broadband standards. 11.

A narrow band discrete RF to digital converter has been developed, a provisional patent filed and the design of a broadband RF-digital Chip is underway. The next step will be to develop a prototype device based on this design for use in demonstrating the technology’s capabilities to potential customers and licensees.

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Engineering and ICT <<<

>>> Engineering and ICT

LiveLens Spatial aperturing for unprecedented creative control in photography

Overall winner of the 2006 WA Inventor of the Year Competition

The LiveLens solves the most persistent and fundamental problem of photography - detail loss through under or over exposure. By instantly reacting to the luminance of the subject and partially blocking light in the brighter areas, LiveLens is able to vastly expand the dynamic range of cameras. For video, digital and film format cameras, the LiveLens can eliminate the need to set up bulky and costly lighting equipment to ‘fill’ shadow areas of a scene.

The technology combines established semiconductor and LCD manufacturing processes to form a unique electro-optical matrix of photo-sensitive and liquid crystal elements. The pixels react instantaneously to the brightest regions within an image, acting as a spatial aperture. This forces the darker regions to be captured in full detail without overexposure in brighter areas that would normally occur.

Live Technologies Ltd has contracted the ECU Micro-photonics group to provide the expertise necessary to develop the patented electro-optical technology. ECU has provided a key role in development of the LiveLens working prototypes and is continuing development through to commercial ready stage.

Weed Control SystemsReal-time, High-speed, Precision Agriculture

Semi-Finalist in the 2008 WA Inventor of the Year - Development Category

In collaboration with Photonic Detection Systems Pty Ltd (PDS), researchers at the WA Centre of Excellence for Micro-Photonic Systems, part of the Electron Science Research Institute (ESRI) at ECU have developed a High Speed Weed Identification system to achieve Precision Spot Spraying of weeds, reducing herbicide use by up to 60% and increase crop yield.

The control of weeds currently costs Australian farmers around $4 billion per year, through a combination of the cost of herbicides, reduced yield and loss of production. The current industry practice of blanket spraying large volumes of herbicides at different times of the cultivation cycle is inherently wasteful, costing Australian farmers in excess of $1billion p.a. and $30 billion p.a. globally.

The Micro-Photonic Weed Sensor is an automated system using a 3-wavelength collimated laser detection module and precision agriculture predictive model that is able to accurately discriminate weeds from surrounding crops (“green-from-green”). The systems is less invasive and more cost-effective than blanket spraying, as the individual weeds are located and sprayed selectively, reducing herbicide use significantly. This also enhances the cropping cycle of wheat, barley and sugarcane which have a combined Australia-wide annual market of $8.8 billion. This system can be readily retrofitted onto existing spray-boom systems and operates at full production speeds.

The IP has been generated by Professor Kamal Alameh and exclusively licensed to PDS providing the rights to the patent in return for an upfront licensing fee and royalty payments from commercialisation of the product. PDS and ECU are currently working with industry partners in WA and Queensland to trial the systems and commercialise the technology via existing agricultural machinery leasing channels.

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Physical Vapour Control SystemIn-situ real-time optoelectronic process control system for physical vapour

Deposition equipment, allowing precise control of material deposition and etching. This system replaces expensive existing technology with an accurate, user-friendly and cost effective control system, easily retro-fitted to existing equipment and requiring no consumables for use.

PVD (Physical vapour deposition) is a technique used in a variety of industries including semiconductors/microelectronics and cutting tool manufacture. It is predicted that the market for PVD equipment will reach US$8.4 billion by 2010, growing at 10.4% per annum. The need for adequate process control in these markets is clear with a current lack of such systems resulting in sub-optimal equipment functioning, unacceptably low yields and process inefficiencies.

By providing a cost-effective, retrofit solution for PVD equipment, this invention solves the need for precise control of these processes allowing more complex production techniques to be used, higher yields to be achieved and substantial cost savings through improved efficiency. While a number of process control systems are on the market, this invention has significant advantages over such products including:

• Ease of installation • Self-calibration

• User friendly software and ease of operator training

• Ability to generate reliable data in non-ideal measurement conditions

• In situ rather than remove monitoring • Relatively low unit cost

• No consumables required • Able to be retrofitted to existing equipment

This system was developed jointly by the WA Centre of Excellence for Micro Photonic Systems at ECU and the Gwanji Institute of Science and Technology. A pre-production prototype is currently in development and the inventors hope to attract the interest of PVD equipment manufacturers while pursuing the market for retrofitting of this system to existing PVD equipment.

Cool Clothing Automated lightweight heat transfer fabric that captures and removes heat from a wearer’s body, preventing heat stress in hazardous occupations and in athletes.

Heat stress is a significant danger in many occupations, potentially causing heat related injuries, organ failure and even death. Heat stress is even more of a danger in occupations requiring the use of protective equipment (fire service, military, mining etc). With heat stress considered to be one of the most common and potentially serious illnesses at many worksites, the market for “smart” fabrics is growing from a current value of US$642 million at a compound annual growth rate of between 18 and 25%.

This invention solves the heat stress problem through the use of low weight, efficient cooling devices combined with micro-pumping to create lightweight “smart” clothing. It has significant advantages over existing bulky products such as ice-vests as it is reusable, has a longer usable life and can be worn underneath the protective equipment that is required by many professions.

This product has been developed in collaboration between the WA Centre of Excellence for Micro Photonic Systems and the School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences at ECU. Intellectual property protection is being sought, a bench-top prototype has been completed and the research team is now working towards creation of a complete garment that meets hazardous occupation requirements.

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ENARAutomated vehicle data recorder to reduce traffic accidents, improve crash reconstructions and lower motor vehicle insurance premiums

ENAR addresses the ever-increasing cost of motor vehicle insurance by providing insurers with a streamlined process for determining the parties at fault in an accident. The system also provides feedback to drivers on their driving behaviour, presenting warnings when hazardous situations are detected. Crash data retrieved from the device will help lower the cost base for insurance companies and result in lower premiums. This will be particularly attractive to the fleet market, empowering fleet managers to reduce costs of maintenance, insurance and claims. The fleet market alone represents 50% of new car registrations in Australia with some 4.3 million vehicles in operation. Freight vehicles also represent a substantial market with 2.5 million freight vehicles currently operating in Australia.

No solution currently on the market can capture the range of data necessary to accurately reconstruct accident events and change driver behaviour. The ENAR system is independent of original vehicle design and can be fitted to existing vehicles. It captures a wealth of information including:

• Vehicle speed • “hoon” behaviour

• Use of seat belts • Monitoring and road hazards

• Signs of fatigue • Identification of road hazard trouble spots

• Adherence to road signs/traffic lights • Environmental emissions

• Accidents/collisions • Crash reconstruction

• Signs of drug use • Positive driver ID

• Use of mobile phones while driving • Location of stolen vehicles.

ENAR was developed through collaboration between the Electron Science Institute at ECU and Omiron Corporation Pty Ltd. With the design phase now complete, the team is working on a prototype of the system and intends to move to car installation trials in the near future.

Wireless Token Network Firmware to improve the quality of service for data streaming of time sensitive services in Wireless Local Area Networks

With the increasing number of Voice over IP (VoIP) users, providing quality of service (QoS) for time-sensitive services (such as voice and video streaming) over wireless networks is fast becoming a problem. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has attempted to solve this problem by introducing the 802.11e wireless protocol which identifies those data packets that are time-sensitive by giving them transmission priority. While this provides network prioritisation for time sensitive data it restricts the number of users able to connect to the wireless network.

Researchers at ECU’s Centre for Communications Engineering Research (CCER) have developed a firmware application referred to as Wireless Token Network (WTN) which ensures that each of the data connections have an equal chance of access, while ensuring that time-sensitive applications are given the access that they require. This is especially useful for voice over WLAN phones and wireless connections to the network that wish to use time-sensitive applications such as voice and video over IP (e.g., Skype). Globally there were over 80 million subscribers to VoIP services in 2007. A provisional US patent has been filed for the technology and further development is underway.

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State Model DiagramsA novel pedagogical model for network technology education

The Cisco Network Academy Program (CNAP) is the world’s largest computer network curriculum used globally in high schools, colleges, universities and defines the benchmark education standard in this field. Since its inception in 1998, CNAP has been taught to more than 1,600,000 students in over 12,000 Cisco Academies in 150 countries. Analysis by Associate Professor Dr S.P. Maj found a number of significant shortcomings with CNAP from which he developed an innovative new method for modelling computer network devices called State Model Diagrams (SMDs). Extensive trialling has demonstrated the following benefits with SMDs:

A single common template that can be used for all network devices and 1. protocols;Language independent - removes the need to learn through complex 2. textual ‘computer’ language, which often causes problems when translated from English;Provides an overview and increasing levels of detail whilst maintaining 3. links and interfaces (i.e. ‘zoom in and zoom out’);Significantly improves student learning outcomes particularly for those 4. new to computer network technology, whilst also providing new insights to those more experienced; andCan potentially significantly improve network management.5.

This highly innovative R&D of a network curriculum and associated software has been acknowledged by the Cisco Network Academy (Asia/Pacific) and the Cisco Learning Institute as being cutting edge and world class in its simplification of a very complex subject. This new method of teaching, which is substantially independent of the language of instruction, has the potential to define international best practices in innovative curriculum design and hence assist teachers and students on a global scale.

Furthermore, this new modelling method and associated software provides a new, vendor independent method for managing networks. Work to date has demonstrated this new method considerably simplifies many network management tasks - as such there is considerable commercial potential.

2D Colour BarcodingHigh capacity Mobile Multi-Coloured Composite 2D-barcode for mobile phone applications

MMCC™ is a colour, two-dimensional (2D) barcode designed to disseminate high capacity mobile phone content via existing colour print and electronic media, without the need for network connectivity. Consumers can use 2D barcodes to gain instant access to complex information, such as drivers’ licence details, product and service prices, recipes or bus timetables... simply by scanning the colour barcode. This represents a significant change in customer convenience.

Being encoded in both the height and width of the symbol and in the colour of the pixels, a significantly greater amount of data can be stored than in the traditional binary barcode symbol. With MMCC™ mobile content can be disseminated on most printed media to mobile camera phones worldwide.

MMCC™ is the only colour 2D-barcode tailored to suit the limitations of low resolution camera mobile phones (from VGA resolutions onwards) that can be printed on paper using more than 8 colours. This currently translates to application across more than 1 billion existing mobile users. A recent study noted that in Japan where 76% of the population is familiar with camera phone based barcode scanning, 65% of males and 48% of females had used black and white 2D barcodes within the 3 month period prior to the study.

MMCC™ is being developed jointly by Dr. Alfred Tan, School of Computer and Information Science (SCIS) and Dr. Douglas Chai, School of Engineering (SoE). A provisional patent has been filed and capital is being sought to develop a suite of mobile encoding and decoding softwares for mainstream, low resolution camera mobile phones.

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Smart Foetal Monitoring Low-cost foetal heart rate and activity monitoring for remote and rural communities

The poor birth statistics (such as rate of preterm birth) among the Indigenous population in remote and rural Australia is more than twice of that of the non-Indigenous population over the past decade. Among the many studies completed, it was found that increased access to antenatal care, such as ultrasound scans and monitoring of the foetal heart rate (FHR), among such communities leads to significantly fewer preterm births among such rural and remote Indigenous populations. While FHR monitoring cannot prevent a problem pregnancy from occurring, it can alert an Obstetrician or Midwife to warning signs and allow them to take steps to help the baby. The tyranny of distance prevents remote and rural Indigenous populations from accessing even reasonable quality antenatal care to remote and rural populations.

Although these remote and rural populations are physically distant from such needed medical care, such communities are often connected to the outside world through modern communication technologies, such as satellite phones. Hence, through the deployment of telemedicine technologies, it is possible to extend some parts of such quality antenatal care to these remote and rural communities.

Dr Alfred Tan and Dr Martin Masek, at School of Computer and Information Science (SCIS), Edith Cowan University, have been awarded US$100,000 from Microsoft to research mobile solutions to this important problem. The result is a solution with the following benefits:

A simple mobile foetal heart rate and activity monitoring system, 1. operating on “off-the-shelf” smart mobile phones and inexpensive, portable, handheld ‘Doppler’ devices;Real time and constant antenatal care and monitoring via mobile 2. networks, overcoming the tyranny of distance for rural and remote communities;Cost reduction - Applicable to all settings (both urban and rural), 3. reducing the ever growing demand for hospital beds, when health resources are already stretched to their limits;Software downloadable to any smart mobile phones with minimal 4. operating costs.

Healthcare providers and investment partners are being sought to extend this innovative technology for further trials and deployment nationally and internationally. The primary focus will be to leverage contributions (financial and in-kind) from such partners to attain government support for further developments.

Remote Monitoring Disease Management SystemOnline electronic patient data management system linked to patient monitoring devices for disease management by medical specialists

Hospitals are increasingly moving towards a “paperless” model where patient data is stored electronically. The market for medical patient information management software is growing at 30% per year and with over 5000 hospitals in the US alone, the market potential for such solutions is substantial.

While software based patient data management solutions exist, they are limited in that specialists need to be present on a ward to access patient data. This significantly limits flexibility and reduces the number of patients a specialist can manage. If a physician could remotely monitor a patient’s status they could see more patients overall, and notify ward staff of worrying trends/emergency situations remotely.

This invention presents medical specialists with patient data over any period of time from anywhere they can access the internet. It presents data graphically allowing identifications of patterns and includes facilities for sending messages to relevant hospital staff. Specialists can identify patterns between different diseases and determine medication effects more readily.

This invention was developed by Jawed Tarin, a former ECU student and was supported by the ECU’s School of Engineering. A successful pilot program has been conducted at Royal Perth Hospital and the IP from this project is being assigned to ECU for commercialisation.

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Health and WellnessECU’s health research focuses on preventative health. This area of research strength enables early detection, intervention and rehabilitation and develops strategies and programs which impact on community-wide health.

Specific areas of expertise include: • Research into the onset, causes, treatment and

support mechanisms for Alzheimer’s Disease patients and the ageing

• Multidisciplinary teams in exercise and sports science, nutrition and psychology researching new wellness approaches to chronic disease management

• Research in palliative cancer care, nursing, midwifery, and Indigenous health

• multi-disciplinary research widely recognised for its school and community-based programs in evidence-based bullying prevention and mental health promotion; drug use prevention, cessation, and harm minimisation; road safety and injury control; and the prevention of overweight and obesity in children

• Stem cell and melanoma research.

ECU has nationally and internationally recognised health researchers, supported by extensive collaborations and partnerships.

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>>> Health and Wellness

Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnostic Imaging AgentPET / SPECT imaging of beta amyloid for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, yet currently, there is no way to diagnose AD in its early stages. Early diagnosis would provide the best chance for drug and other interventions to treat or slow the progression of the disease. The development of an effective and improved diagnostic method has the potential to minimise the enormous impact that AD will have on health, quality of life and healthcare costs in the coming years.

There is now overwhelming evidence that the over production and accumulation of beta amyloid (Aß) in the brain is central to the disease, resulting in the destruction of brain cells and deterioration of mental function. The compounds currently being developed by Alzhyme Pty Ltd for the treatment of AD bind to the Aß molecule, and therefore have the potential to be developed as molecular imaging agents using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging techniques. The key advantages of the technology are:

More accurate diagnosis early in the disease course before significant 1. memory loss;Earlier and more appropriate treatment and management of patients;2. Identification of mild cognitive impairment as a precursor to AD; and3. Monitoring the response to treatment with new Aß targeting therapeutics. 4.

This project is being carried out under contract on behalf of Alzhyme by Professor Ralph Martins and his team of researchers within the WA Centre of Excellence in Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Care. To accelerate this project, a collaborative research agreement has been established with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). The aim is to develop a radiopharmaceutical agent to image Aß deposits in the brains of living patients for an early diagnostic and imaging test for AD.

Diagnostic Blood Test for Alzheimer’s DiseaseDetection of beta amyloid in blood serum for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

The pathogenic processes of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) begin years before clinical symptoms can be observed. Currently there are no definitive diagnostic tests for AD, with the clinical diagnosis of the disease primarily based on subjective methods such as cognitive testing by physicians. There remains a considerable unmet market for a reliable, cost effective and minimally invasive test that would allow early accurate diagnosis of AD and result in improved patient treatment.

The aim of this project is to develop a minimally-invasive, low cost yet reliable diagnostic kit for the routine detection of beta amyloid (Aß) in blood serum. Analysts predict that a diagnostic test for AD in blood serum would generate worldwide annual sales of USD1 billion.

The initial challenge will be to develop a solution capable of isolating and preserving Aß from the other elements in blood serum. Detection will be achieved using established antibodies for Aß in combination with the latest technologies in flow cytometry, microspheres, lasers, digital signal processing and traditional chemistry. By harnessing these technologies the proposed test will benefit from being rapid, low cost and reliable. In addition, such a test would improve clinical trials by facilitating better patient recruitment (e.g. more accurate diagnosis) and monitoring of drug efficacy.

As with the imaging research above, this project is being carried out under contract on behalf of Alzhyme Pty Ltd by Professor Ralph Martins and his team of researchers.

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Naltrexone as a therapeutic for the treatment of Alzheimer’s DiseasePotential treatment via hormone modulation of beta amyloid production

A risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is increased blood levels of gonadotropins, particularly Luteinizing Hormone (LH). Professor Martins and his group has identified that LH plays a role in AD pathogeneisis, particularly in regulating beta amyloid (Aß). The use of LH lowering agents such as leuprolide has been shown to lower Aß accumulation in the brains of transgenic mice and improve cognition, indicating that lowering LH levels is a target for developing therapeutic strategies.

Already affecting an estimated 20 million people worldwide, the prevalence of this debilitating disease is expected to double by 2025 due to the ageing population. The market for treatments that ease the symptoms of the disease reached nearly US$3 billion in 2004; however there are presently no disease modifying drugs available.

Naltrexone is currently approved on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme for the management of alcohol and opioid dependence. Work by ECU’s Professor Ralph Martins and collaborator, Professor Gary Hulse (UWA) has identified that this compound can lower LH levels in blood. The group now have preliminary data showing a trend towards a reduction in Aß levels in patients following Naltrexone treatment. In addition, the group has identified another feature of Naltrexone in that it can reduce Aß mediated toxicity in neuronal cell culture, suggesting that it can prevent Aß-induced neuronal death. A provisional patent has been filed for Naltrexone as a therapeutic for the treatment of AD.

Gamma Secretase Inhibition as a means to treat Alzheimer’s disease Addressing the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease by developing agents to attenuate the enzyme responsible for beta amyloid production

The majority of drugs aimed at reducing the accumulation of beta amyloid (Aß) by targeting the gamma secretase enzyme have failed pre-clinical trials. A reason for this is that this enzyme is also important for normal cellular function. The challenge is therefore to identify the critical site within the gamma secretase that is responsible for generating Aß, without affecting normal cellular function.

The market for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) drugs is estimated to grow at 15% annually and reach $5.5 billion by 2009. However, currently marketed drugs such acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, memantine only treat disease symptoms without targeting underlying degeneration of neuronal cells. Therefore, new, disease modifying treatments are urgently needed.

ECU’s novel approach is to identify sites within this enzyme that are specifically responsible for generating Aß without altering its activity on other proteins. Once this site has been identified, an in-vitro assay can be developed to allow screening of potential drugs aimed at lowering Aß levels with high specificity.

Professor Ralph Martins and his team at ECU have currently reconstructed the gamma secretase enzyme complex in vitro. The next stage is to validate its activity and to identify particular sites within the enzyme that are critical for its activity on Aß. Although currently in its initial stages, the outcomes of this project would be appealing to the pharmaceutical industry.

Superior drug screening in Alzheimer’s Disease Transgenic zebrafish model for rapid, low-cost, high throughput screening of therapeutic agents for Alzheimer’s Disease

The only available in-vivo tool for pre-clinical evaluation of potential drug agents for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is transgenic mice models. This current approach has limitations in high throughput screening due to the large animal numbers needed and the significant costs and time associated with undertaking such experiments.

The zebrafish is becoming increasingly popular in drug screening as they are available in large numbers and have a very rapid developmental cycle with a basic embryology and brain development that is similar to humans. Developing a high throughput in-vivo assay using the transgenic zebrafish model for AD would be appealing to the pharmaceutical industry.

The benefits of using zebrafish are their availability in large numbers, their very good visibility and very rapid development compared to other vertebrate models. This allows for rapid screening of potential drug candidates. It has been estimated that the maintenance cost of zebrafish are less than 1/1000th the cost of maintaining mice.

The team at ECU’s Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer’s disease Research is currently validating an assay for beta amyloid (Aß) toxicity using non-transgenic zebrafish to establish baseline controls and in parallel is developing the transgenic zebrafish model for AD. This in-vivo assay would be suitable for rapidly screening potential therapeutic agents that neutralise Aß toxicity.

Combination treatment for Alzheimer’s DiseaseUsing testosterone and Vitamin E in combination to achieve a synergistic effect in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

The market for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) drugs is estimated to grow at 15% annually and reach $5.5 billion by 2009. However, currently marketed drugs such acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, memantine only treat disease symptoms without targeting underlying degeneration of neuronal cells. Therefore, new disease modifying treatments are urgently needed.

One mechanism proposed to contribute to AD is the age related imbalances in hormone levels. Similar to a decline in oestrogen levels during menopause, reduced levels of testosterone during andropause have been associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Reduced testosterone levels have also been shown to promote the accumulation of beta amyloid (Aß), a protein implicated in neurotoxicity and neuronal death.

In collaboration with Lawley Pharmaceutical Ltd, Professor Ralph Martins and his team at the WA Centre of Excellence in Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Care have found that testosterone replacement therapy lowers the levels of Aß in an animal model of late onset AD and in a human pilot study.

Whilst studies on the effects of testosterone and Vitamin E in isolation have not revealed a clinically significant effect, ECU’s research suggests that in combination these two treatments would have a synergistic effect on the level of Aß production and levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. This work has led to a pharmaceutical composition, comprising testosterone and vitamin E for the treatment of AD. Intellectual property is being sought to in parallel with the work progressing.

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Combination Nutraceutical for the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease DHA, polyphenols and plant extracts to provide a synergistic protective effect for the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease

In addition to genetics and other environmental factors, diet is considered to play an important role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Many western diets have been reported to be deficient in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and are also low in polyphenolic content. Therefore, supplementation with DHA and polyphenols may offer potential preventative treatments for AD.

Over the past decade, polyphenols, which are abundant in fruits and vegetables, have gained recognition for their antioxidant properties and their roles in protecting against chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Evidence also suggests that a low dietary intake of omega-3 essential fatty acids may be a risk factor for AD. DHA is one of the major omega-3s in the brain, being particularly enriched in neurons and at synapses. DHA is associated with learning and memory and is also required for the structure and function of brain cell membranes. In the AD brain, DHA is known to be decreased, while people who ingest higher levels of DHA are less likely to develop AD.

Professor Martins and his group have preliminary data showing reductions in toxic Aß levels following dietary feeding with green tea polyphenols and DHA-enriched fish oil in an animal model for late-onset AD. The efficacy of purified supplements of DHA, green tea polyphenols, and other nutraceuticals are currently being assessed in a transgenic mouse model for AD. Favourable outcomes in these in vivo studies will allow for the commencement of clinical trials assessing the efficacy of these purified supplements in the prevention of AD.

Melanoma Diagnostic/ Prognostic AssayA non-invasive blood test for melanoma that reliably detects early stage tumour spread and thus has the potential to improve diagnosis, staging, progression and treatment monitoring.

At present, melanoma metastases are most often first detected using scanning techniques or invasive biopsies conducted on the lymph nodes or systemic tissues. These techniques cannot reliably detect early stage metastases thereby creating a demand for more sensitive techniques.

The world wide incidence of melanoma in 2002 was 160,177 cases and is increasing at 6-7% per annum making it the fastest growing of all cancers. Melanoma is responsible for 80% of skin cancer related deaths and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) represents 90% of all melanoma. In Australia the incidence of CMM is increasing (1000 new cases annually in Western Australia alone) and mortality rates remain high (WA Cancer Registry, 2004).

ECU Associate Professor Melanie Ziman of the School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences, has identified markers that can be used to detect melanoma and melanoma metastasis in patient blood. The markers have potential to enable more efficient diagnosis and staging of melanoma and to assist with monitoring disease progression and treatment responses

To date over 200 patients have been tested and results show that the test has significant diagnostic significance. Further research over the next year will focus on confirming the prognostic capabilities of the markers. A patent application is being prepared and a full market analysis is underway to develop the commercialisation strategy.

Friendly Schools and FamiliesAn evidence-based whole-school approach to the reduction of bullying in Primary Schools

Bullying touches almost everyone’s life, it is widespread and harmful, and as we learn more about its lasting effects it is becoming an issue of growing concern to practitioners, parents and researchers. Bullying can have a long term impact on a child’s self esteem, social skills and academic capacity, and for these reasons there is a need for evidence based programs to be implemented into the 7,700 primary schools across Australia.

Friendly Schools and Families (FSF) targets primary schools and provides ‘small steps for success’ from which schools can systematically implement and tailor strategies to reduce bullying. FSF is designed to help all members of the school community including teachers, school administrators and parents. Comprising a Whole School Pack FSF is designed to guide the programs effective implementation and provide strategies and actions for schools to improve social skills and to help reduce bullying; and a Classroom Pack made up of Teaching and Learning Handbooks targeted to children aged between 4 and 13 which provide information and a variety of interactive strategies to build children’s social skills and ultimately reduce bullying.

Developed by a team of researchers led by Professor Donna Cross from the Child Health Promotion Research Centre (CHPRC) the FSF program is based on 6 years of rigorous scientific research into bullying, involving over 6000 schools students. This included a four-year intervention research project to evaluate the best whole-school strategies to reducing bullying (2000-2003); and a second more targeted program which included a stronger focus on capacity building and involving families (2002-2004).

FSF is one of the few interventions empirically tested in schools. FSF has been shown to significantly reduce bullying behaviour, promote greater feelings of safety and happiness at school and increase social skills among children compared to those who did not receive the program. The material is reviewed and updated regularly with ongoing research and now forms the supporting framework for numerous other evidence based intervention programs that are being developed and evaluated by the CHPRC.

The FSF product suite is being distributed under licence by the Australian Council for Education Research. The program has been successfully disseminated to over 1,800 primary schools throughout Australia and ACER and ECU are now seeking to expand further into international markets to tackle the problem of bullying on a global level.

Supportive SchoolsA bullying reduction program focused on the transition from primary to secondary school

In Australia bullying tends to peak twice in a school student’s life – firstly between the ages of 10 to 12, then during the two years following a student’s transition to secondary school. The effects of bullying can be severe; mentally, socially, physically and academically, and often persist into adulthood. While interventions to counter bullying in schools are currently considered a high priority in Australia, there is a distinct lack of successful interventions targeting the 2,600 secondary schools.

The Supportive Schools program targets four levels: the whole-school, the classroom, the individual and the home and comprises specific material for students in the transition period from primary school as well as a Whole School Manual for combating bullying in the secondary school setting.

A three year randomised trial between 2005 and 2007 found significant positive effects on bullying and school connectedness among students who received the program. The program materials are currently being prepared for market. A 2009 launch for the Supportive Schools Program is envisaged.

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Childhood Aggression Prevention (CAP) Project Addressing early childhood aggressive behaviour to combat later stage health ramifications

Although many of the health ramifications of aggression are not experienced until adolescence or adulthood, developmental pathways to such outcomes are in place by early childhood. Interventions to limit social and psychological problems associated with aggression and violence increasingly are targeting children at a younger age. The CAP Project targets Pre-Primary and Year 1 children and will support reduced aggression and increased pro-social behaviours amongst early-school-age children, and may have a long term potential to limit later bullying and victimisation problems in Western Australia. The intervention is currently being tested through a randomised control trial in 24 government schools in the Metropolitan Perth region.

Cyber Bullying InterventionInvention programs to combat the rapidly growing trend of cyber-bullying in school aged children

With the growth of virtual technology there are some alarming trends emerging regarding the extent to which young people are using e-mail, mobile phone text messaging, mobile phone calls, mobile phone cameras, chat rooms, and websites to bully their peers which results in broad social, emotional and mental health implications particularly among young teenagers. The Child Health Promotion Research Centre was awarded $200,000 from Healthway; $400,000 by the WA Government and another $300,000 recently from the Telstra Foundation to conduct the world’s first study into how to schools, families and students themselves can combat the effects of cyber bullying. This research initiative is called Cyber Friendly Communities Program. Material is currently under development for this Program including parent/teacher CDs and websites as well as primary and secondary websites and materials. This material will be trialled in primary and secondary schools throughout Australia and South East Asia over the next two years with an aim to refining the materials for a final comprehensive cyber bullying intervention program.

Solid Kids, Solid SchoolsReducing the effects of bullying among Aboriginal school children living in rural areas

While previous bullying interventions have been successfully implemented in urban areas and for non-aboriginal children, it is unknown how Aboriginal children and adults conceptualise childhood bullying and what school/community intervention programs are appropriate. The aim of this study is to formatively develop and evaluate a primary school and community-based bullying prevention and reduction program that is culturally secure for rural schools with higher proportions of Aboriginal students. Material for the Solid Kids, Solid Schools program is currently under development and will be trialled during 2009.

Take a Walk in My ShoesEarly childhood pedestrian injury prevention movie

Pedestrian injury is the leading cause of death among 5-9 year old children in Australia. Educating adults on the most effective ways to teach children road safety is an ongoing concern for health and education organisations throughout Australia.

“Take a Walk in my Shoes” is a DVD and booklet providing information for adults (parents, guardians and teachers) about the limitations of children in the road environment that make it unsafe for children under 10 years of age to cross the road without adult help. It explains the five key steps parents can talk about and practise with their child to help them learn about crossing roads safely. Numerous schools and health related organisations have expressed interest in the DVD and booklet which is now distributed through the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER).

>>> Security, Law and Justice

Security, Law and JusticeSecurity research at ECU includes information security, computer and network security, biometrics and ballistics imaging, critical infrastructure, aviation and border control security, counter-terrorism and intelligence, and risk management.

Particular strengths include digital forensics, forensic analysis of network and mobile device data, and information operations and terrorism.

Law and criminology research includes the administration of justice, investigative interviewing, minority interests and human rights, family legal issues, ethics and legal reform. Other research includes scientific evidence and advocacy, forensic psychology, and employment and property law.

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DI-TrakkaA low-cost active RFID system for monitoring animal interactions, tracking and managing cattle herds

Semi-Finalist in the 2008 WA Inventor of the Year Development Category

Herd tracking and management is a growing market, with the tagging of all cattle now mandatory in Australia. This requirement likely to be implemented of other four-legged animals herds in the near future. Livestock management is one of highest growth sectors in the active RFID market, which is predicted to grow to US$7 billion by 2017, equivalent to 26% of the total RFID market. It is estimated that active RFID data can achieve cost savings of up to 70% in comparison to passive tags, reducing losses related to lost animals and delayed medical treatment.

While current tagging of cattle in Australia is currently conducted through passive RFID tags, there is a substantial market opportunity for this active RFID invention as it provides a number of benefits over existing technologies including:

Internally powered tags – No need to get close to an animal to read tag, 1. no risk of injury to the operator;Behaviour monitoring – The active tag can monitor health status and 2. detect sickness or injury; andTelemetry – active tags can track individual animals remotely, 3. identifying lost animals and tracking breeding behaviours.

This invention was developed by the School of Computer and Information Science. A provisional patent has been filed, a working prototype developed and product testing is currently being undertaken to prepare the product for commercial launch or licensing to existing RFID tag providers.

SiMPLE Preview, extraction and output of images contained on a suspect computer’s storage devices in a forensically sound manner without the need for specialist expertise

A major issue facing law enforcement agencies is the possession and distribution of offensive or illegal images via the internet. This problem is magnified in remote locations or where the availability of specialist skills or equipment is scarce.

SiMPLE is an initial response tool that can find, view and export any relevant files stored on a computer, establishing if further expert investigation is warranted. The advantage of SiMPLE’s operation is that it requires minimal expertise to gain onsite access to the electronic evidence, compared to existing tools that require specialist knowledge or training to operate. Complete forensic soundness is maintained which allows the images to be used by law enforcement during interrogation or at committal hearings.

The project has been coordinated by the Security Research Centre at ECU that has worked closely with WA police to develop the system. SiMPLE is targeted towards the law enforcement market however it also has applications in large corporations who enforce strict policies relating to use of the internet.

Laptop Inspection and Recovery System (LIARS) An easy to use, bootable CD capable of verifying or refuting ownership of a suspect laptop

Laptop theft is of major concern for both individuals and businesses and the security of their personal or business sensitive information. It is estimated that over 50,000 laptops are stolen each year, and whilst a large number of these are recovered by police each year, the majority are never returned to their legitimate owners due to a lack of identifying information.

LIARS will allow an individual with limited knowledge of computers or forensic methods to identify the registered owner of a laptop whilst maintaining its forensic integrity. Initially this will occur on a superficial level meaning if the drive has been formatted no identifying information is likely to be found, however subsequent development by the Security Research Centre at ECU will allow retrieval of information from a formatted drive.

Disaster Victim ID SystemAn RFID tag used to record information and identify victims of disasters, removing the need for paper-based recording and preventing data loss due to environmental degradation.

In disaster situations, forensic pathologists traditionally examine each body or body part and record findings on paper. This results in the loss of significant amounts of data through environmental degradation and is highly inefficient. Barcode systems are likewise insufficient as they are again vulnerable to the elements and cannot store information. Information access is limited to those with access to the physical tag or paper based information.

The Disater Victim ID System (DVIS) was developed in response to these limitations, and provides a solution that is resistant to environmental degradation, can store several megabytes of data (scene photos, x-ray images, test results, etc) and does not require line of sight to be read. This allows authenticated people access to the information without being present at the data site, through phone or wireless networks. Both pathologists and forensic staff will benefit from improved access to data and the ability to add and modify the notes stored on the tag wirelessly. Emergency services worldwide would benefit from improved data access and integrity.

This system was developed by the School of Computer & Information Science at ECU. A prototype is currently in development

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Security, Law and Justice <<<

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>>> Education

EducationEducation research and development at ECU is conducted in collaboration with state and national education bodies to improve policy, curriculum, teaching effectiveness and student learning outcomes.

Particular strengths include improving the teaching of literacy, numeracy and science, behaviour management and the use of learning technologies to maximise

learning outcomes. Other strengths include research on school resourcing, school effectiveness and the improvement of student retention and participation, especially for Indigenous students.

ECU education researchers are recognised nationally, particularly for their expertise in research and program development in literacy and science teaching.

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Education <<<

CompareIT MarkingA database and electronic marking tool used to assess students’ work in a range of media quickly and efficiently

Marking of assessments is a complex task, particularly when the skills being assessed are not easily tested using quantitative assessments (e.g. multi-choice tests). This has lead education providers to use the comparative-pairs method of marking for assessing works such as videos, websites and graphics. This method compares two students work and records the markers judgments. These comparisons are then statistically analysed to arrive at a final grade. This method is seen to be the ‘gold standard’ in assessing such works and has been adopted by many examining bodies worldwide, including the WA Curriculum Council.

The primary barrier to assessing students using non-standard forms of assessment has been the time required to mark the work, resulting in high costs in comparison to traditional techniques. This lead to the development of the CompareIT system, a program that digitally presents pairs of work that can be in a variety of formats (PDF, website, video, graphic), records the examiner’s judgments and statistically analyses the results. This process dramatically increases the speed at which such assessment can be conducted, increasing the viability of this assessment technique. With “high-stakes” assessments such as Curriculum Council exams now being conducted using comparative pairs, there is a strong market need for improved efficiency of this form of assessment.

This invention was developed by The Centre for Schooling and Learning Technologies (CSaLT). A working prototype has been developed and was successfully piloted in 2007.

Information contained in this brochure was correct at the time of printing and may be subject to change. 8244 Matrix 0000 07/08

MORE INFORMATION Office of Research and Innovation Edith Cowan UniversityBuilding 1B West Wing270 Joondalup DriveJoondalup WA 6027 Telephone (61 8) 6304 5404Facsimile (61 8) 6304 5044Email: [email protected]: www.research.ecu.edu.au/ori

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