New nanodevices facility for RMIT University

RMIT University has announced a $1.25 million research facility to support the development of cheap, ultraprecise and easy-to-use nanodevices for the rapid diagnosis and detection of health hazards.

The Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility will be established with the support of a $500,000 Ian Potter Foundation 50th Anniversary Commemorative Grant. Professor Calum Drummond, RMIT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation and vice-president, noted that this is the foundation’s “largest ever grant to RMIT”.

“[It] will enable our researchers to develop smart technologies that have the potential to radically change healthcare diagnostics,” he said.

“The Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility is set to become the nation’s nanobiosensing hub, attracting top research collaborators from around the world.”

The facility will bring together bio-containment infrastructure and nanobiosensensing laboratories for the first time, allowing researchers to work with pathogens and microorganisms within a nanotechnology precinct. It will allow the development of new transformative diagnostic technologies that will enable efficient treatment of diseases.

Research projects supported by the new facility include:

• a nanodevice that cuts diagnosis time of meningococcal from hours to minutes;
• an inexpensive nanotool for diagnosing malaria in developing countries that can give almost instant results and requires no medical training to use.

“The point-of-care nanodevices we’re developing are not only inexpensive and simple to use, but also extremely sensitive, so they give an accurate diagnosis almost instantly,” said Associate Professor Vipul Bansal, Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility director.

“Speed is critical - the quicker we can diagnose, the quicker we can ensure a patient receives the right treatment.”

Other research projects already in development that will be supported by the new facility include:

• a prototype tool to test drinking water for the Cryptosporidium parasite, which cuts the detection time from five days to five minutes;
• super-sensitive nanosensors for the food and dairy industries;
• devices for early-stage diagnosis of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Researchers at RMIT have been granted international and provisional patents for their novel nanodiagnostic platform, which is based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The user-friendly platform is inexpensive to produce and is readily applied to a broad range of biosensing challenges, enabling researchers to develop targeted nanodevices for personal, medical and industrial use.

“This new facility will enable the development of nanodevices for a wide range of diseases and health hazards,” said Associate Professor Vipul Bansal.

“Importantly, it will also help us advance our research through the establishment of international collaborations that can maximise the global impact of these life-saving, leading-edge technologies.”

The Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility will sit alongside RMIT’s $30 million MicroNano Research Facility, which is due to open in August.