Associate Professor Robert Ernest Nordon

My Expertise

Cell separation; bioreactor systems for cell therapies

Fields of Research (FoR)

Biomedical Engineering, Regenerative Medicine (incl. Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering), Medical Devices, Cell Development, Proliferation and Death

SEO tags

Clinical Health (Organs, Diseases and Abnormal Conditions)

Expanding Knowledge

Biography

Associate Professor Robert Nordon is a biomedical engineer and technology developer at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, specialising in advanced manufacturing solutions for cell and gene therapies. He leads the development of scalable, automated platforms that enable cost-effective and decentralised production of therapeutic cells, bridging innovation from laboratory to clinical and commercial settings.

Early in his career,...view more

Early in his career, A/Prof Nordon invented the Quantum hollow-fibre cell expansion system, one of the first closed, automated bioreactor platforms for large-scale stem cell manufacturing. The technology was licensed to Gambro BCT and is now commercialised globally by Terumo BCT, supporting clinical and industrial cell therapy production.

He has a strong track record of translating technologies into real-world applications, working closely with industry partners including CSL and advanced manufacturing organisations to develop microfluidic bioreactor platforms for CAR T cell and gene therapy manufacturing. His work focuses on reducing production costs, increasing accessibility, and enabling decentralised manufacturing models for personalised therapies.

A/Prof Nordon also served as Regional Vice-President for Australia & New Zealand of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT ANZ) where he contributed to regional collaboration, industry engagement, and the growth of the cell therapy sector.

My Grants

1. ARC Linkage Projects

Scaling microfluidics for cell manufacture (LP160100570)

Duration: 12 September 2016 – 11 September 2019

Total Cash Contribution: $549,452

Industry Collaborator: CSL / Callimune

This project develops scalable microfluidic platforms for automated cell manufacturing. It addresses a major bottleneck in translating cell and gene therapies by replacing conventional batch processing with continuous, miniaturised, and highly controlled systems capable of reducing cost and improving reproducibility.

Manufacturing 3D microstructures for the medical device industry (LP160100573)

Duration: 14 September 2020 – 5 August 2024

Total Cash Contribution: $378,188

Industry Collaborator: Zhizhen Medical Co. Ltd.

This project advances precision fabrication methods for complex three-dimensional microstructures used in medical devices. By integrating advanced manufacturing approaches, it enables scalable production of high-resolution components for next-generation biomedical applications.

Development of electrophoretic cell sorters (LP190100029)

Duration: 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2024

Total Cash Contribution: $404,968

Industry Collaborator: Genesys Electronics Design

This project develops next-generation electrophoretic cell sorting technologies to enable label-free, high-precision separation of therapeutic cell populations. The technology supports advanced bioprocessing and regenerative medicine applications by improving purity and manufacturing efficiency.

2. Making cell and gene therapy affordable with a microbioreactor

Sponsor: Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources - Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRCPIX000183)

Duration: 18 December 2020 – 31 August 2024

Total Cash Contribution: $3,000,000

Industry Partners: Genesys Electronics Design; CSL

This CRC-P project develops an automated microfluidic bioreactor platform to reduce the cost of personalised cell and gene therapy manufacture. By integrating microengineering, process automation, and scalable fabrication, the project aims to transform cell therapy production from labour-intensive batch processes to streamlined, closed-system manufacturing.

3. Pilot-Scale Manufacture of Microfluidic Bioreactors for the Biotech Industry

Sponsor: Department of Education, Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Seed Grant (AE240300244)

Industry Partners: Genesys Electronics Design; CSL

Duration: 9 July 2024 – 15 January 2026

Total Cash Contribution: $491,530

The biotechnology industry traditionally relies on large-scale fermentation systems, where a single bioreactor run produces thousands of doses. However, personalised cell therapies remain prohibitively expensive under conventional manufacturing models. This project evaluates the feasibility of pilot- and volume-scale automated fabrication of additively manufactured microfluidic bioreactors, supporting cost-effective production of advanced cell therapies.

My Qualifications

MB BS BMedSci PhD

My Research Activities

1. Developing Single-Use Disposables for Plant-Scale Production of Cells for Clinical Therapies

The biopharmaceutical sector has traditionally relied on large-volume, fed-batch stainless steel bioreactors to manufacture biologics at scale, where a single batch can yield thousands of doses. However, the rapidly evolving biopharmaceutical landscape now demands cost-effective technologies capable of producing multiple, diverse biologics. This challenge is particularly acute in the manufacture of personalised cell and gene therapies, where one batch corresponds to a single patient product.

Our research focuses on the development of large-volume plastic microfluidic devices for cell manufacturing. We aim to fabricate these systems as scalable, single-use disposables suitable for plant-scale production of clinical cell therapies.

2. Modelling Human Heart and Blood Development from Pluripotent Stem Cells on a Microfluidic Chip

We use lab-on-a-chip technologies to mimic aspects of foetal circulation and to model human blood formation from vascular endothelial cells. Our current work examines the influence of pulsatile fluid shear stress on the generation of haematopoietic stem cells. In parallel, we are investigating the use of hydrogels to spatially pattern and guide embryonic cardiovascular development in vitro.

3. Single-Cell Analysis by Live-Cell Imaging and RNA Sequencing

We develop integrated software and microfluidic platforms for single-cell analysis. Our tools include automated cell-tracking algorithms and computational methods to analyse cell fate decisions using single-cell RNA sequencing.