Queensland University of Technology Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI)
QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), opened in 2006, is a collaborative institute devoted to improving the health of individuals and communities through research innovation.
IHBI applies solutions to real world experiences to ensure they are effective. Through its work, IHBI seeks to improve the health of individuals and of communities. IHBI's researchers focus on three broad health areas - prevention; mind and body health; and recovery.
Trauma Research Program
The QUT Trauma Research Group headed by Professor Michael Schuetz, orthopaedic and trauma surgeon, includes medical engineers and computer scientists, working with surgeons and emergency medicine specialists at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. This group improves community capacity to respond to trauma and creates more effective clinical services for severely injured patients. It focuses on improved bone fracture healing through computer modelling, developing bone substitutes and infection resistant implant coatings.
The group has had success creating new models to help researchers better understand the fracture healing process, efficacy of current surgical interventions in fracture healing, and better ways to measure the fit of surgical implants. The public will benefit from the group’s emerging research into how osteoporosis, infections and drugs affect fracture healing. The group is also commencing work examining new ways of treating soft tissue trauma.
Spinal cord injury research is an important area of research collaboration with the Princess Alexandra Hospital. The year 2009 saw the establishment of a collaborative partnership between QUT spinal researcher Dr Ben Goss, orthopaedic surgeon Associate Professor Richard Williams of the Princess Alexandra Hospital and Professor Michael Schuetz, and the Rick Hansen Institute in Canada to investigate translational research in spinal cord injury. This collaboration will provide new opportunities for researchers in both Australia and Canada to work together to develop improved treatments and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injuries.
Prostate Cancer Program
In 2009 the Commonwealth Government awarded QUT a $7.5 million grant for the establishment of the Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre – Queensland (APCRC - Q), is a partnership between QUT and Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH). QUT’s Chair of Prostate Cancer Research Professor Colleen Nelson is Executive Director of the Centre and has assembled a multidisciplinary research group to investigate new ways to treat prostate cancer, with a focus on developing new, targeted treatments for advanced cancer.
QUT progressed the establishment of the APCRC - Q at the PAH with research facilities including specialist, genomic analysis, microscopy and imaging equipment, laboratories and research space, all of which will enable IHBI researchers to progress their prostate cancer research from discovery through to clinical trials. The APCRC - Q will be a major entity within the TRI. This will be closely linked to the multi-disciplinary team clinic for advanced prostate cancer, established by PAH and the APCRC - Q, to improve care and integrate clinical trials opportunities for men with advanced prostate cancer.
Professor Nelson was awarded a Smart Futures Premier’s Fellowship in 2009 to develop new, targeted treatments for advanced prostate cancer. The Australian Prostate Cancer Bioresource, established in 2005 and led by Professor Judith Clements, was awarded a renewed five year NHMRC Enabling Grant in 2009 to continue its work as a national collaborative resource providing biospecimens to underpin translational prostate cancer research.
Professor Clements’ leadership in prostate cancer was recognized with her 2009 appointment to the NHMRC Academy, a prestigious body of eminent researchers that enhances NHMRC's peer review processes by giving independent expert advice to NHMRC's Chief Executive.
Professor Nelson also directs the Australian-Canadian Prostate Cancer Research Alliance - a Queensland National and International Research Alliance, based from the APCRC - Q - which brings together more than 200 scientists and clinicians in prostate cancer with 28 other partners throughout Australia and Canada.
Professor Nelson is also the Chair of Movember’s Global Action Plan Scientific Committee, which will create multi-million dollar global scale prostate cancer research collaborative projects.
