UTS Science co-leads new Joint Research Centre

The development of a next generation device that can detect minute quantities of disease biomarkers in a patient’s bloodstream, at point-of-care, is the focus of a new Australia-China Joint Research Centre.

The device will integrate a miniaturised microscope, with microsensors on a chip, and smartphone readout to detect the trace amount of circulating nucleic acids in the blood stream. An increase in the levels of these molecules can be an indicator of a range of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders and infections.

The Australia-China Joint Research Centre (JRC) for Point of Care Testing will be led by University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry Science (CIAC). Federal government funding of A$936,000, from the Australia-China Science and Research Fund, will be matched by the Chinese Government to establish the Centre aimed at addressing challenges facing the health sectors in both countries, strengthening ties with global partners and boosting research capacity.