It is with great pleasure that we report that David Hill has been honoured with the Award for Distinguished Service to the Pacific Polymer Federation at the PPC-10 meeting, held in Kobe in December. Dave is a co-founder of the Federation, and has served on the Council of the PPF for many years.

Assoc. Prof. Dave Hill being presented with his award at the opening ceremony of PPC10, Kobe, 4th December 2007, by the PPF President Prof Tisato Kajiyama of Kyushu University.

The Polymer Group has been funded for two grants under the ARC Discovery schemes. Dr. Idriss Blakey is the Chief Investigator of the project DP0878615 - Generation of peptidomimetic surfaces for biomaterials applications, in collaboration with Chirila, Hill and Hawker. Funding of $570,000 is available for this three year project.

Biomedical implants are increasingly being used for the treatment of a variety of ailments. This project will significantly contribute to the development of these bioengineered constructs, by introducing an innovative method for tailoring the nature of the surface of these materials with structures that mimic the response of biologicalsurfaces. This technology has the potential to promote favourable interactions of cells with biomedical implants, and an initial targeted application will be to use these bioengineered constructs in the treatment of preventable blindness and severe visual impairment, afflictions which affect over 180 million individuals worldwide.

Dr Kris Thurecht, currently at the University of Nottingham, has received funding with Steve Howdle to join the Polymer Group from October 2008. The project DP0880032 - Supercritical CO2: A Clean, Green Reaction Medium for Novel Polymer Synthesis and Modification, aims to develop polymerisation methods in supercritical carbon dioxide. Funding is for $285,000 for three years.

This project will lead to the development of new macromolecular structures with application in many areas ranging from drug delivery to the microelectronics industry. More importantly, the processes used to manufacture these products will utilise supercritical CO2 - a clean, green processing technology that can totally remove the need for using environmentally-degrading, volatile organic solvents. The unique properties of scCO2 will be used to develop new polymer materials and processes. This technology will promote Australia's commitment towards greener industrial alternatives, while simultaneously strengthening our science and opening up new possibilities in the
rapidly advancing area of nano-technology.

The Polymer Group and their partner organisation, SEMATECH, have received funding under the ARC Linkage Projects scheme. The project, LP0882551 - Double Exposure Photoresists for the 32 and 22 nm Lithographic Nodes, aims to synthesize new polymer materials for the next generation photolithography. The investigators are Whittaker, Blakey, Liu and Zimmerman. Funding is for three years at $750,000 excluding university and SEMATECH contributions.

The semiconductor industry is one of the largest world-wide, with annual revenue of $220B and employing over 1.5M people around the world. This project provides a unique opportunity for development within Australia of significant expertise in the field of double exposure lithography. The novel photoactive polymeric films to be developed are expected to support the next generation of microchips. A major outcome of this project will be establishment of Australia as a world-leader in this rapidly expanding field. Furthermore the technology can be applied broadly to many printing technologies.

Another Polymer Group baby - Geety Nabi and her husband Sharif announce the arrival of their baby Mahdi, born 23rd August. Congratulations!

Dr Imelda Keen of the Polymer Group has received University of Queensland funding for the development of polymeric ultrasound contrast agents. The project will aim to develop biodegradable injectable particles for ultrasound agents. The project will involve collaboration with Prof Clive Baldock of the University of Sydney.

The Polymer Group has received funding for collaborative research with our colleagues at the University of Nottingham under the ARC Linkage International Scheme. The project, LX0776233 - Development of Novel Detergents for Green Solvent Systems and Their Self-Assembly into Nanostructures, is funded over three years to $35,000, and is intended to promote exchange and collaboration between the two groups. Chief investigators are Whittaker, Blakey, Howdle and Thurecht.

The Polymer Group has received funding, with Monash University, under the ARC Linkage Infrastructure scheme for LE0775684 - The polymer pharmaceutical/drug characterization and processing facility. The chief investigators are Whittaker, Halley, Blakey, Simon, Cook, Edward and Forsythe. The funding will provide state-of-the-art fluorescence spectrometer and mini-extruder for the AIBN laboratories.

The Australian population is ageing, and this is leading to ever increasing burdens upon our health system. In addition new understanding of disease states has lead to a demand for improved materials for drug delivery and for tissue regeneration. This proposal will lead to novel biomaterials designed to meet these demands. Polymers are seen as essential elements for construction of such biomedical devices due to the myriad forms in which they can be made, and the large number of different materials to choose from. This proposal will lead to the formation of the PolyPharma network which will produce polymeric biomaterials to benefit our health industries.

Theres something in the water! Congratulations to Andreas and Kris on the birth of Stella Ruhmann, and of course to big sister Bianca. Stella was born at 2.12 pm, weighing 3960 grams.

The group has a new addition - Zachary Ethan Blakey was born at 2:52 pm today weighing 3.774 kg and measuring 52 cm. Congratulations Idriss and Karen and Nick.

Polymer Group Research Fellow, Dr Zul Merican has gained support from the University of Queensland for a proposal to study "Self-Assembly of Water-Soluble Rotaxanes with a Cyclic Fullerene-Bound Cyclodextrin Unit". The one-year project will involve synthesis and study of a range of electronically-active molecules.

"The fabrication of a variety of supramolecular architectures, including rotaxanes and catenanes, through noncovalent bonding interactions has received much interest because of their topological features and potential application in molecular electronic devices. Examples of these devices include solar cells, biological and chemical sensors, which normally incorporate such supramolecular assemblies.

Typically fabrication of such devices involves immobilisation of organic molecules onto semiconductor surfaces. A typical approach to assemble these molecules on the surface of nanocrystalline metal oxides, involves covalent-bond attachment via acidic functional groups. This covalent linkage strategy can often result in undesirably fast interfacial charge recombination of photogenerated species.

This proposal seeks to generate a rotaxane-containing system with an in-built capacity to be immobilised on semiconductor surfaces. It aims to gain control over the interfacial charge transfer of a synthetic molecular device i.e., via rotaxane architectures. The rotaxane molecules will incorporate: (i) a cyclic component in the form of a cyclodextrin molecule, CD; and (ii) porphyrin molecules as the end-groups. In doing so, they should provide significant advantages to the study of charge transfer over conventional immobilisation techniques."

Cartoon representations of topological interlocked a) catenane and b) rotaxane structures.

For more information please contact Dr Zul Merican.

The University of Queensland and Dairy Ingredients Group of Australia Ltd (DIGA) have been awarded an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant for collaborative research into the molecular mechanism of protein instability in dairy powder systems. The Chief Investigators in this multi-disciplinary project will be A/Prof Bhesh Bhandari and A/Prof Hilton Deeth (School of Land & Food Sciences), Prof Mike Gidley (Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences) and Prof Andrew Whittaker (Centre for Magnetic Resonance). The total project funding is $509.000 over three years, with ARC providing $359,000 and DIGA $150,000, commencing in July 2006.

The objective of the project is to exploit leading analytical measurement techniques, with results integrated using a material science approach, to define the key mechanisms responsible for time-dependent changes in the physical functionality of high-protein dairy powders. Amongst other factors, this research will investigate the importance of “minimum water” to avoid protein aggregation either in the dry state or during rehydration; interactions of protein with other dairy components that may cause a re-distribution of water and consequent molecular associations; the influence of surface molecular composition of powders; and phase changes in the kinetically-trapped multi-component glassy dried state.

It is expected that this work will contribute significantly not only to a mechanistic understanding of such systems, but also to the development of optimum process and product designs for the manufacture and utilisation of high-protein dairy ingredients. With the annual value of exported dairy powders exceeding $1billion, the anticipated improvements in the performance and shelf-life of the products to be investigated in this project have the potential to generate significant economic benefits for the Australian dairy industry.

The dairy industry is the fourth largest rural industry sectors in Australia, directly involving more than 13,000 farms and a large number of dairy factories. More than 50% of the total milk volume is converted to powder form which amounts to approximately 500,000 tonnes a year. Any improvement in the shelf-life of dried dairy powder systems will directly benefit both the production and processing sectors of the dairy industry.

More details of our work on dairy proteins can be found on this web site.

The AIBN recently received news that our application for $6.5 million of funding under the Queensland Government's Innovation Building Fund to support the establishment of a Bionano-products Development Facility (BnDF) was successful.

The funding will be used to establish the BnDF and to buy new cutting-edge equipment in the areas of protein expression, metabolomics, micro/nano-fabrication and bio/nano-materials characterisation. This facility will provide important equipment to support the work of AIBN researchers. For more information about the BnDF, see http://www.sdi.qld.gov.au/dsdweb/v3/guis/templates/content/gui_cue_cntnhtml.cfm?id=5535

The equipment includes major infrastructure for the Polymer Group.

A University of Queensland scientist will lead an International Biomaterials Research Alliance which has attracted $1.2 million funding announced today by the Queensland Government.

The Alliance brings together an international team of biomaterials synthesis experts to develop medical applications such as in bone repair, vascular regeneration, vision and medical imaging.

Professor Andrew Whittaker of UQ's Centre for Magnetic Resonance and the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology leads the $4 million project.

Queensland Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for State Development, Trade and Innovation Anna Bligh made the announcement of the Queensland Government's commitment from its Smart State National and International Research Alliances Program, at the BIO conference in Chicago.

The University of Queensland has provided cash and in-kind support of over $1 million to develop the Alliance. The project has also attracted funding and support from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Washington University in St Louis, (both in the U.S.) and the University of Warwick and Queen Mary, University of London, in the U.K.

University of Queensland Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor David Siddle said the International Biomaterials Research Alliance would establish an excellent team of international scientists and Queensland-based researchers and clinicians with expertise in biomaterials synthesis and biomedical applications.

“The collaboration will bring together fundamental chemical scientists in research institutes and clinical researchers in Queensland hospitals to provide a “bench-top to bed-side” path for biomaterials,” he said.

Professor Siddle said the International Biomaterials Research Alliance would be a world-leader in the development of biomaterials for medical applications.

Its programs would provide a path to market for a number of key technologies developed in Queensland laboratories.

Professor Whittaker said in the short term, the International Biomaterials Research Alliance would employ an additional six full time researchers and attract additional research expenditure to Queensland in the order of $6-$7 million over the next five years.

In the long term, the project would translate into improved health and healthcare for Queenslanders, reducing the burden on the hospital system.

Specific projects would result in more effective delivery of drugs to the body through imaging technologies; effective repair of jaw bone and dental defects; improved outcomes for patients suffering cardiovascular disease; and new technologies for remediation of defective eye sight.

See the IBRA web site for more details.