An $8.5 million Australian Research Council training centre at The University of Queensland will bring together innovation and technology in biomedicine.
The ARC Training Centre for Innovation in Biomedical Imaging Technology (CIBIT) was launched by Member for Ryan Jane Prentice at UQ’s Centre for Advanced Imaging.
Biomedicine focuses on the understanding, treatment and prevention of disease through the application of biological sciences, biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics.
The centre will train more than 20 industry ready scientists and deliver innovations in biomedical imaging techniques and probes.
UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said the centre would make an important contribution to the Australian biomedical and health research industry.
“It will deliver ground-breaking innovation in biomedical imaging and tackle key health problems,” he said.
“It brings together industry and academic leaders to train a new generation of scientists who will help contribute to important advances in diagnostic methods and technologies.
“Now that we have a critical mass of researchers and equipment, we are at the forefront of a field that is advancing swiftly – and it’s essential that we seize this opportunity to pass knowledge on to the next generation of leading scientists.”
The centre researchers will be based at UQ’s Centre for Advanced Imaging (CAI) where they will use state-of-the-art imaging facilities to improve the health of Australians.
CAI Director Professor David Reutens, who will lead the new ARC centre, said biomedical imaging is integral to modern health care.
“Centre researchers and industry partners are working together for faster, more accurate and more cost-effective diagnostic imaging,” he said.
“Our industry led research aims to deliver the right treatment for the right patient at the right time by improving the development and application of novel diagnostics, therapeutics and theranostics – which combine the capabilities of diagnosis and therapy.
“These developments are important for the detection and treatment of diseases like cancer.”
The training centre has been established with the Australian Government, with ARC funding of $4.7 million and $3.8 million in industry partner contributions.
It will involve researchers from across UQ.
Industry partners include Siemens Healthcare Pty Ltd, Clarity Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Minomic InternationalLtd, Inter-K Peptide Therapeutics Ltd, Theranostics Australia Pty Ltd, Beijing Genomics Institute, Brisbane Veterinary Specialists Centre, Uniting Care Medical Imaging, and Red Radiology Pty Ltd.
Professor Peter Høj, Vice-Chancellor and President, The University of Queensland; the Honourable Jane Prentice MP, Federal Member for Ryan, representing the Honourable Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Education; Professor David Reutens, CIBIT and CAI Director; Professor Sue Thomas, ARC CEO; and Professor Aidan Byrne, Provost and Senior Vice-President, The University of Queensland; at the official launch of CIBIT on Wednesday 5 September, 2018.
Media: Dr Shona Osborne, administrator@cibit.org.au, +61 (7) 3346 0364;
Ms Maria Moran, maria.moran@cai.uq.edu.au, +61 (7) 3365 1785.
Additional articles:
UQ News full article
ARC media release
