HRI success in Sydney Nano Grand Challenge

Awards and Achievements

Molecular Nanorobotics for Health, a project co-led by Dr Anna Waterhouse, Cardiovascular Medical Devices Group Leader at HRI, has been chosen as one of Sydney Nano’s five Grand Challenges in recognition of its potential social, economic and scientific impact.

Dr Waterhouse’s Grand Challenge project, with collaborator and co-lead Dr Shelley Wickham, will build molecular nano-robots, self-assembled from biomolecules, which will be capable of travelling through the body to diagnose and treat early disease.

With heart disease being Australia’s – and the world’s – biggest killer, Dr Waterhouse’s and Dr Wickham’s vision is that these nano-robots will be able to detect early, treatable damage in coronary arteries, to prevent heart disease.

Dr Waterhouse says, “I am honoured to have been chosen as one of the Grand Challenges at Sydney Nano and I’m excited to work with Dr Wickham, and with the larger, multidisciplinary team that we have established as part of this Grand Challenge.”

This project will be the first molecular nanorobotics platform for health and medicine in Australia. Sydney Nano, an institute based at the Sydney Nanoscience Hub at The University of Sydney and focused on extending and deepening knowledge of the nanoscale, will provide seed-funding for two years.

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Dr Anna Waterhouse joins HRI as Group Leader

The HRI is pleased to welcome Dr Anna Waterhouse as Group Leader of the Cardiovascular Medical Devices Group and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney. Dr Waterhouse’s research focuses on how medical devices – such as artificial hearts, stents and bypass machines – interact with the body. Her aim is to understand the interactions of medical devices with patients’ blood, proteins and cells to develop more sophisticated and compatible materials.