Kickstarters
2025 Projects
Polymeric transcatheter valves
Chief Investigator: Dr Aeryne Lee
Dr Sina Naficy
The aim of this Kickstarter project is to create the next generation of transcatheter heart valve replacements using a novel design inspired by the native heart valve anatomy and proprietary polymeric ("flexible plastic") material. These features combined will offer heart valve disease patients a more durable solution that does not require lifelong anticoagulant medication nor multiple open-heart surgeries throughout their lifetime like how current treatments do.
Nanocatalyst for safe and efficient production and storage of liquid hydrogen
Chief Investigator: Dr Arman Siahvashi
Dr Mahroo Baharfar, Professor Antonio Tricoli
Liquid hydrogen’s role in CO₂-free energy systems positions Australia to lead global exports by leveraging its world-class LNG expertise. This project develops a novel nano-catalyst to replace inefficient iron-oxide catalysts (commonly used in the industry), enabling 1000x faster ortho-para hydrogen conversion and minimizing energy loss and boil-off. It will foster strategic collaborations with industry and institutions like MIT, driving breakthroughs in storage, safety, and scalability to advance Australia’s sustainable energy leadership.
Polypyrrole nano-material biosensors
Chief Investigator: Dr Belal Chami
Dr Syamak Farajikhah, Dr Yogambha Ramaswamy
This project aims to adapt existing technology for faster, at-home monitoring of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) by combining it with polypyrrole nanomaterials for improved biosensing. The goal is to develop a portable, handheld device that allows for quick and easy detection of inflammation from fecal samples, moving beyond traditional clinic visits for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Sustainable Rare-Earth-Less Magnets
Chief Investigator: Dr Hansheng Chen
Professor Simon Ringer, Azmena Hussain, Dr Kay Song
This project aims to address the growing shortage of critical minerals by developing 3D-printed permanent magnets that require fewer rare-earth elements. By reducing reliance on rare-earth elements, it helps establish a more sustainable supply chain for high-performance permanent magnets used in hybrid/electric vehicles, wind turbines, and various electronic devices.
Advanced Photonics Packaging
Chief Investigator: Associate Professor Liwei Li.
Dr. Chris Betters, Prof. Sergio Leon-Saval, Prof. Xiaoke Yi
This project focuses on improving the packaging and integration of nanoscale, high-speed circuits, improving their efficiency, reliability, and energy performance. By leveraging multicore fibre technology, which is far more compact than conventional approaches, we are addressing the challenge of precisely packaging these highly sensitive circuits.
Mini-Acoustic Force Spectroscopy (Mini-AFS) for Cancer Immunotherapy
Chief Investigator: Dr Mingxin Xu
Professor Arnold Lining Ju, Professor John Rasko, Dr Yao Wang, Dr Dannel Yeo
This project aims to improve cancer treatments by developing a new technology that uses ultrasound to measure how well immune cells interact with cancer. This innovative system combines ultrasound and microfluidic channels to quickly identify the most effective cells, making treatments faster, cheaper, and more efficient, with the potential to improve outcomes for cancer patients.
Nano-templating stem-cell functionality
Chief Investigator: Dr Qianyi Zhang
Associate Professor Giselle Yeo, Associate Professor Shelley Wickham, Dr Clara Tran, Professor Tony Weiss,
There is a growing demand for cell therapies, but these are hampered by the limited availability of healing stem cells. In their Sydney Nano Kickstarter project, Dr Qianyi Zhang, Dr Yeo, Associate Professor Wickham, Dr Tran and Prof Weiss intend to entice tiny molecules to fold using miniature origami, with the goal of using these patterned molecules to enhance the growth of stem cells and boost their functional performance.
Fighting antimicrobial resistance
Chief Investigator: Dr Rachel North
Associate Professor Ronald Clarke
Cells from all life forms have a membrane that separates them from the environment. This membrane contains specialised machines known as transporter proteins that control what moves into and out of cells. Disease-causing bacteria use transporters to scavenge vital nutrients from human tissues and drive infection. This research project seeks to generate new knowledge of how unexplored transporters from pathogenic bacteria work, which will underpin future protein nanotechnology efforts and the development of new antimicrobials to combat harmful bacterial pathogens.
eEVs for AONs
Chief Investigator: Dr Ryan Davis
Professor Wojciech Chrzanowski, Dr Christopher Rudge
This group will engineer cellular cargo packages to enhance the delivery of therapeutics into the cell and improve their targeting within the cell. Once this is achieved, the packages will be optimised for therapeutic delivery to different cells, particularly those that are difficult to target, such as brain cells. By boosting the delivery of therapeutics into specific cells, we will be better able to treat different diseases.
Retinal Biomimetic Nanodrug
Chief Investigator: Dr Shaoxue Zeng
Dr Yi Shen Dr Ling Zhu
This project aims to transform retinal drug delivery by fusing lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) with extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from retinal cells. This hybrid approach combines the high drug encapsulation efficiency of LNPs with the innate targeting capabilities of EVs. Using innovative membrane coating and microfluidic techniques, this approach leverages nanotechnology to enhance treatment precision.
Nanosolutions for sore eyes
Chief Investigator: Professor Stephanie Watson
Dr Ken Ooi, Dr Yogambha Ramaswamy, Dr Gurvinder Singh
This Kickstarter is ambitious as it seeks to use nanotechnology to enable our dry eye therapy to reach the $USD 2 billion global dry eye market. New therapies are needed as people with dry eye, the most common eye disorder, seek treatment as they suffer with recurrent blurred vision and ocular discomfort. Nanotechnology will enable precise dosing, longer-action, and increased comfort of our patented dry eye therapy.
Nanotech Signal Amplifier
Chief Investigator: Dr Syamak Farajikhah
Associate Professor Sima Aminorroaya Yamini, Dr Inseong Cho, Dr Jacopo Giaretta, Professor Girish Lakhwani, Dr Long Hong Nguyen, Dr Richard Tan
This project aims to create an extremely sensitive biosensor to detect very low level of important biomolecules, such as toxins and metabolic markers. These detections are essential for medical tests, food safety, and protection against bioterrorism. The biosensor will use a new method that combines optical detection of hydrogen peroxide with special metal nanoparticles that boost the signal. This approach will greatly improve the sensor’s ability to detect very low levels of substances like pesticides, cholesterol, and glucose. The innovation could be a game-changer for quick and reliable medical testing and food safety checks.
Wearable multi-modal sensing
Chief Investigator: Professor Wei Chen
Professor Wenlong Cheng, Professor Peter Cistulli, Dr Jia Liu
The project aims to develop a wearable multi-modal sensing platform for continuous day and night neurophysiological monitoring at home. The platform will be developed with nano-based soft sensing materials and intelligent techniques for robust assurance. This will allow for extensive and comfortable testing, resulting in better information for the clinicians to identify sleep disorders and ensure timely management of associated morbidities.
AI powered microfluidic technology for lipid nanoparticles fabrication
Chief Investigator: Dr Yi Shen
Associate Professor Tongliang Liu, Dr Alexandra O’Donohue, Associate Professor Aaron Schindeler, Dr Shaoxue Zeng, Associate Professor Ling Zhu
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are widely used to deliver sensitive drugs, like the COVID-19 vaccine. We aim to develop a flexible platform for producing LNPs that carry nucleic acid-based therapies by combining microfluidic technology with artificial intelligence (AI). This approach will enhance production efficiency, support personalized treatments, and unlock the full potential of LNP in medicine and biotechnology.
Reflective flat metalens
Chief Investigator: Dr Alex Song
Dr Cyril Laplane, Dr Robert Wolf
This project focuses on the development of a reflective metalens, a novel optical device that uses a flat dielectric slab with nano holes, pillars, or rings to achieve sub-diffraction limit focusing. Unlike traditional curved lenses, this metalens leverages the properties of metamaterials—structures smaller than the wavelength of light—allowing for high efficiency and compactness. The team will design the metalens using advanced numerical simulations and fabricate it on silicon-on-oxide substrates. The project aims to advance applications in imaging, sensing, LIDAR, augmented reality, and quantum technologies.
Past projects
Nanoscale Genome-editing Technology
Chief Investigator: Associate Professor Markus Muellner and Associate Professor Brian Jones
This group have developed a proof-of-concept nanotechnology platform that greatly improves the efficiency of precision genome editing in plants. With the Kickstarter they aim to expand the range of applications for the technology and develop a streamlined nanocomplex delivery mechanism. These improvements are aimed at ensuring broad uptake of the technology.
Brain plasticity on-a-chip
Chief Investigator: Dr Ann Na Cho
This project aims to create a 'brain circuit' on-chip system using human stem cells and 3D biofabrication technology. By modelling the real human neuronal communication between different brain regions, this project will enable discovery of biomedical research and ultimately achieve commercialisation by itself and facilitating precision medicine.
Er:SiC integrated photonics
Chief Investigator: Dr Elizabeth Marcellina
This Kickstarter aims to combine the quantum properties of single erbium atoms with recent fabrication advances in on-chip photonic circuits in silicon carbide. This team of engineers and physicists aim to build prototype devices for novel optical technologies including lasers, modulators and components for quantum computers.
Engineering Cellular Longevity
Chief Investigator: Dr Giselle Yeo
Stem cells hold great promise for many diseases, but their effectiveness is hampered by cell ageing. This team are developing nanotechnologies to deliver a protective protein into cells and biomaterials, to maintain cell longevity and improve therapeutic outcomes.
Emerging Nanotechnologies’ Customers
Chief Investigator: Dr Jarryd Daymond
The rapid pace of development in the field of nanotechnology presents a unique challenge: identifying and understanding the customers who are most likely to adopt these new technologies. Early adopters play a crucial role in the diffusion of innovation, but due to the constantly evolving nature of emerging nanotechnologies, it is difficult to predict who these customers will be and what their specific needs are. This research project aims to address this challenge by investigating the relationship between emerging nanotechnologies and their early adopting customers.
Nano-patterned blood vessels
Chief Investigator: Dr Michael Morris
The aim of this Kickstarter is to build blood vessels in a dish that can be used to transplant into patients who need artery bypass surgery. To do this, the team are using a plasma-treated, biodegradable plastic to which they ‘trap’ the various cell types in the correct places.
Epidermal hydrogel electrodes
Chief Investigator: Dr Shuying Wu
Skin electrodes are essential for continuously recording biopotentials like electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), electrocardiography (ECG), which are important for diagnosing and treating diseases related to the heart, brain, and muscles, such as dementia, sleep disorders, and heart conditions. Currently, rigid electrodes with electrolyte gel are predominantly used, but they have problems with unstable and weak connections to the skin and signal degradation. Soft polymeric electrodes have shown great promise because they fit better on the skin. However, there are still challenges in achieving good on-skin adhesion and long-term stability. This project aims to develop soft, self-adhesive, conductive polymeric materials-based electrodes to overcome these challenges and improve continuous biopotential monitoring systems.
Nano-heterogeneity for thermoelectricity
Chief Investigator: Dr Sima Aminorroaya Yamini
This project aims to correlate the chemistry of microstructural components with the electronic properties of high-entropy alloys, a new generation of thermoelectric materials. The findings will set the foundation for the design of new materials with high conversion efficiency of waste heat to electricity.
Forecasting Nano-3D Biointegration
Chief Investigator: Dr Natalie Holmes
This project aims to enable more accurate predictions of medical implant biointegration timelines for bone tissue repair, by building a world-first protocol based on quantitative nanoscale 3D tomography.
Nanoscope: Powering Energy
Chief Investigators: Dr Minkyung Kang, Professor Chiara Neto and Dr Levi Tegg
This Kickstarter's primary focus revolves around enhancing the efficiency and stability of nanocatalysts. Through this, it aims to facilitate rational materials design to address pressing energy demands more effectively.
Engineering Materials' Nano-heterogeneities
Chief Investigators: Dr Xianghai An, Professor Marcela Bilek and Associate Professor Yixiang Gan
This Kickstarter aims to create an innovative concept of hierarchical heterogeneity engineering to develop next-generation alloys by precisely controlling multiscale chemical/structural heterogeneities.
Eliminating implant biofilms
Chief Investigators: Associate Professor Ann Kwan, Dr Jinlong Gao, Dr Giselle Yeo and Professor Margaret Sunde
This Kickstarter aims to engineer nanometre-thick protein coatings that will drastically reduce Infections and rejections, two leading causes of implant failures.
Cool canopies
Chief Investigators: Dr Alex Song and Dr Arianna Brambilla
This Kickstarter aims to develop passive cooling canopies for open public spaces. Traditional canopies reach 50-60°C under the sun, causing discomfort to people below and significant urban heat-island effects. Utilizing nanophotonic materials, the goal is to achieve a 20°C temperature reduction. By cooling the environment, the project will pivotal role in promoting sustainable habitats for the future.
Quantum Workforce Futures
Chief Investigators: Professor Rae Cooper, Associate Professor Elizabeth Hill, Associate Professor Dimitria Groutsis and Ms Agatha Court
This Kickstarter seeks to understand key challenges in the quantum workforce ecosystem including labour supply, critical skills shortages, career navigation, and workforce equality and inclusion.
Therapeutic protein nanocages
Chief Investigator: Dr Yu Heng Lau and Professor Hilda Pickett
This Kickstarter will establish “protein nanocages” as a proprietary platform technology for nanohealth, from targeted drug delivery to vaccine development.
Taming nano vibrations
Chief Investigator: Dr Christophe Valahu, Dr Tingrei Tan, Dr Tomas Navickas and Professor Philip Leong
This Kickstarter aims to improve the ion traps by developing machine learning algorithms to accurately predict and compensate their instabilities.
Chiral Nanophotonics
Chief Investigator: Associate Professor Girish Lakhwani and Professor Deanna D'Alessandro
This Kickstarter will develop new chiral advanced materials for all-optical ultrafast and energy-efficient manipulation of light. Through deep integration of multidisciplinary facets in chemical design, molecular synthesis, optical spectroscopy, and device engineering, the aim is to harness these extra degrees of freedom for all-optical switching and encryption technologies.
Nano-g-trap
Chief Investigator: Dr Robert Wolf, Dr Cyril Laplane, Associate Professor Niels Quack, and Dr Alex Song
This Kickstarter aims to develop novel quantum sensors: an inertial measurement unit and gravitometer based on on-chip levitated nanoparticles in vacuum.
City Meta Twins
Chief Investigators: Associate Professor Daniel Dias-da-Costa, Professor Luming Shen, Dr Anastasia Globa and Dr Arianna Brambilla
This Kickstarter aims to establish a meta twin hub where accurate digital replicates of the real world merge with AI and remote sensing to virtually recreate first-hand disaster effects on infrastructure assets, enhancing proactive measures and mitigation strategies. Secondly, to enable real-time collection, fusion, and processing of data from diverse sources to effectively unify humanitarian relief and disaster response and recovery actions.
Deeply learned qubits
Chief Investigators: Dr Alex Song and Dr Xanthe Croot
This Kickstarter aims to develop efficient gradient-aware algorithms for optimizing multi-mode superconducting quantum circuits.
Nano-electromechanical quantum interfaces
Chief Investigators: Dr John Bartholomew, Associate Professor Niels Quack, Dr Elizabeth Marcellina and Tim Newman
This Kickstarter aims to fabricate next generation quantum interfaces by integrating silicon photonics with resonators containing erbium. It also aims to design nano-electromechanical actuators to tune the coupling gap between resonators and waveguides.
Responsible Energy Science
Chief Investigators: Professor Kondo-Francois Aguey-Zinsou, Professor Antonio Tricoli, Professor Ali Abbas, Dr Maria Rumyantseva, Professor Lina Markauskaite, Professor Anita Ho-Baille, Professor Manfred Lenzen and Associate Professor Arunima Malik
This Kickstarter aims to support and accelerate the development of an ARC Centre of Excellence bid on the next clean energy science and technology.
Cellular nano-factories
Chief Investigators: Professor Wojciech Chrzanowski and Professor Chaya Brodie
This project aims to develop novel approaches of biomanufacturing and bioprocessing parameters for the production of cellular multifunctional nanoparticles as next-generation delivery vehicles of biologically active compounds (i.e.,RNA, antibodies, CRISPR-Cas9). These advances will be beneficial (or can be implemented) in the agriculture, veterinary and pharmaceutical industries.