Project activities

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Project activities

MERF is a joint facility of the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering and the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation.

The Queensland Government Smart State Facilities Fund awarded $5,000,000 to Queensland University of Technology in June 2004 to establish the Medical Engineering Research Facility (MERF) at The Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside. The Prince Charles Hospital supported this $10.7 million facility by providing land as well as equipment and staff support. QUT provided funding of $4.15 million to complete the construction and fit out, with support for equipment from industry partners, Medtronic and Stryker.

MERF is designed to meet Australia’s emerging needs in orthopaedic and artificial organs research, and provides a comprehensive suite of research and training facilities at the one location, including:

• research aimed at solving problems identified by clinicians in their practice, and directed or co-directed by the clinicians;
• research into new techniques, materials, devices, procedures, and manufacturing techniques for medical devices;
• training of clinicians and allied health workers in new products and techniques.

Research areas

Areas targeted for rapid advancement include:

• Bone replacement and cartilage replacement systems
• Promotion of bone healing
• Optimising spinal surgical procedures
• Augmentation for osteoporotic bone and crush fractures
• Innovative concepts for the attachment of artificial limbs
• Non-biological and biological replacement organs (eg artificial heart).

Some of the clinical conditions impacted by the work will be:

• Joint (hip and knee) replacements due to arthritis, injury, osteoporosis and other causes
• Fractured long-bones and fractured neck of femur (including as a result of trauma)
• Cancer requiring bone tumour resection surgery
• Spinal deformity; back pain (including disc degeneration); osteoporotic spines
• Above-knee amputees
• Congestive heart failure and impaired functioning of other organs.

MERF is the first facility to support the full cycle of research, validation, commercialisation and training activities necessary to ensure widespread adoption of new medical devices and techniques throughout Queensland, and around the world.

A significant feature of MERF is the incorporation of professional training programs for surgeons, general practitioners, anaesthetists, nurses and other health workers, providing a vital “hands-on” complement to the virtual hospital simulation suite at the Queensland Health Skills Development Centre.