The University of Queensland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) was established in 2003. It is one of four stand-alone research institutions at the university with more than 500 researchers, students and support staff. The inaugural Director was Peter Gray (2003 – 2015). The institute's second director, Professor Alan Rowan, commenced in 2016. The AIBN is an integrated multi-disciplinary

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

institute bringing together researchers in the areas of

bioengineering Biological engineering or bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically-viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number o ...

and

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

. It is home to research groups working at the interface of the biological, chemical and physical sciences, and its applications in human health and environmental issues. Notable work performed by the institute includes the needleless Nanopatch

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifie ...

delivery device that is ready to begin human trials; local production of an experimental

antibody An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of the ...

for the treatment of the

Hendra virus Hendra virus (HeV), scientific name ''Hendra henipavirus'', is a bat-borne virus that is associated with a highly fatal infection in horses and humans. Numerous disease outbreaks in Australia among horses have been caused by Hendra virus. The Hend ...

; and

biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration (E ...

research.

Research

AIBN's research efforts are focused in the areas of: * Nanotechnology-based imaging and drug delivery for therapeutic products; * Regenerative medicine: biology,

stem cells In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type o ...

and novel scaffolds; * Novel protein expression utilising metabolomics and systems biotechnology; * Nanotechnology for energy and environmental applications.

Facilities

AIBN has been based in a $75 million state-of-the-art research facility since October 2006. The Jackson/S2F Architectural firm designed the building, which possesses of floor space, and comprises PC2 and PC3

biocontainment One use of the concept of biocontainment is related to laboratory biosafety and pertains to microbiology laboratories in which the physical containment of pathogenic organisms or agents (bacteria, viruses, and toxins) is required, usually by is ...

laboratories. Specialist facilities in the AIBN include: * Cell and tissue culture facilities; * Nanoparticle production and analysis capabilities; * Polymer Synthesis and Characterisation; * Microanalysis; * Ultra-High Performance

Flow Cytometry Flow cytometry (FC) is a technique used to detect and measure physical and chemical characteristics of a population of cells or particles. In this process, a sample containing cells or particles is suspended in a fluid and injected into the flo ...

Financial support

Financial support of

Atlantic Philanthropies The Atlantic Philanthropies (AP) was a private foundation created in 1982 by Irish-American businessman Chuck Feeney. The Atlantic Philanthropies focused its giving on health, social, and politically left-leaning public policy causes in Australia ...

, the

Government of Queensland The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy was form ...

and

The University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = Br ...

enabled the construction of the $75 million AIBN research facility.

Students

AIBN counts with over 140 full-time PhD students. Through the AIBN Summer and Winter Research internship programs, the institute provides research experience and laboratory skills to undergraduate students with an interest in research as a potential career. These opportunities provide scope for co-authorship in research publications and pathways into

Honours Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

, Masters and PhD research. An AIBN student has won the UQ

Three Minute Thesis The Three Minute Thesis competition or '3MT, is an annual competition held in more than 200 universities worldwide. It is open to PhD students, and challenges participants to present their research in just 180 seconds, in an engaging form that can ...

in 2012.

Industrial and business

The Institute has set up an Industrial Affiliates Program to tackle technological issues confronting the industry. AIBN has established products and created companies based on the technology developed within it. Four start-up companies currently operate largely or exclusively out of AIBN. Institute researchers founded three companies to develop AIBN technology – Vaxxas Pty Ltd (vaccine delivery), TenasiTech Pty Ltd (bio-plastics), and Pepfactants Pty Ltd – while Acyte, founded by AIBN Director Professor Peter Gray, was brought to AIBN from

The University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public university, public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight (Australian universities), ...

. The start-up companies are distinct entities, with their own management structures, boards and finances. AIBN provides facilities, equipment and, through The University of Queensland's commercialisation company UniQuest, a level of specialist support, such as management of patents and commercial advice.

Notable people

Joy Wolfram

References

External links

Current news from AIBN

AIBN website
{{University of Queensland University of Queensland Research institutes in Queensland