Research themes/projects 

Currently recruiting PhD and Honours students 

Bioengineered vascularised cardiac patches (Heart Foundation)- There are currently no effective treatments for the damage to the heart tissue caused by a heart attack, meaning this event often leads to complete heart failure. Cardiac patches are living tissues developed in the laboratory by growing human cells on biomaterials or materials designed to interact with the human body. These patches can perform a range of functions that are done by a ‘real’ organ, but their use is currently limited by the lack of a vascular (blood) supply. In the human body, cell survival across very thick layers of tissue is maintained via an extensive network of blood vessels, which deliver oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body and take away harmful waste products, but this is yet to be effectively replicated in the laboratory. The aim of this project is to develop the next generation of cardiac patches by develop novel biomaterials that support vascular regeneration and therefore extend the utility of cardiac patches for the treatment of heart damage following myocardial infarction.

Collaborators: A/Prof James Chong (Westmead Institute for Medical Research)

Bioengineered tissue vascularisation strategies (ARC Discovery Project)- Bioengineered tissues offer an alternative for the replacement and regeneration of organs and tissues damaged through injury or disease, but they currently have little clinical utility due to the lack of an adequate vascular supply, making vascularisation one of the biggest obstacles in translating biomaterials and tissue engineering research to the clinic.This project aims to understand the physical and biological cues that drive tissue vascularisation and replicate them in biomimetic silk-based biomaterial platforms. This involves (1) development of novel silk biomaterials with tuneable physical/architectural features, (2) silk functionalisation strategies, (3) bioengineering molecules of the vascular niche with specific features using recombinant DNA technology and protein expression and (4) establishment of appropriate assays and imaging modalities to assess vascularisation of 3D biomaterials. 

Collaborators: Prof John Whitelock & A/Prof Megan Lord (UNSW), Prof Marcela Bilek (University of Sydney), Dr Khoon Lim & A/Prof Tim Woodfield (University of Otago, Christchurch)

Next-generation vascular devices- The aim of this project is to develop next-generation biomaterial platforms for use in blood-contacting vascular devices, such as vascular grafts and stents. The focus in particular is on silk-based vascular grafts as they have the potential to overcome the physical, mechanical and biological shortcomings of the current clinical synthetic grafts. In collaboration with Dr Steven Wise at the Heart Research Institute, Dr Rnjak-Kovacina developed a silk-based small-diameter vascular graft with very promising performance in pre-clinical trials. 

Collaborators: Dr Steven Wise (HRI, University of Sydney), Dr Anna Waterhouse (HRI, University of Sydney) 

Professional Activities

• Member of the Bioengineering Flagship Advisory Board, Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA) (2020-current)
• Member of the Centre for Commercialisation of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) Australia Advisory Board (2018-current)
• Australasian Society for Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering, Treasurer & Secretary (2017-present), member (2008-present)    
• Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR), member (2018-present) 
• American Chemical Society (ACS), member (2015-present)
• Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand, member (2014-present)
• International Society for Matrix Biology, member (2014-present)
• Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), member (2012-present)
• NIH Tissue Engineering Resource Centre, member (2011-2014)