Enhancing Collaboration to Develop cutting-edge medical devices

ABOUT

The Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) is an ideas incubator. We foster collaborations between researchers, industry, end-users and government and develop medical technologies with global market potential. Read more

What we do

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Ideation

Anyone from health professionals and researchers to end-users and entrepreneurs can submit an innovative idea to the Medical Device Partnering Program. Our clients come to us with a problem, an idea for a solution or in some cases, a working prototype.

Screening

The MDPP Innovations team conducts confidential research on all submissions. This includes a review of the concept and research to understand the product’s potential. We’re able to quickly understand the need and market opportunity to then shortlist projects to go through to a workshop.

Workshopping

Our workshops are one of the most valuable aspects of the Program. Here we explore the idea and underlying problem to ensure the new product provides benefits over existing solutions. Participants may include research specialists, academics, clinicians, manufacturers, end-users and commercial experts. The workshop provides a clear path forward and can result in new product ideas or approaches being conceived.

Decision Making

Following the workshop, an independent Assessment Panel involving researchers, industry experts, clinicians and government representatives review the plan. We want to ensure every project we invest our time in has the potential to be developed into a marketable product.

Develop Solution

Each approved project receives up to 250 hours of professional technical expertise. This can include proof of concept research, prototyping, product validation or a small-scale end-user trial. We also provide a detailed market opportunity report and foster connections to potential manufacturers and commercial partners to further support our clients in taking their ideas to market.

Handover

We handover all results, data, prototypes and intellectual property to the client, together with suggestions for future R&D and funding opportunities. We believe through the Medical Device Partnering Program, clients have all the ingredients required to take their product to the next step!

Featured Projects

Perfect Squeeze

Ventilation management during life-saving resuscitation is being transformed by a local start-up, Abtulus®, who have partnered with the Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) at Flinders University to develop a novel Bag Valve Mask (BVM) guidance system. Engineered by Dr Siavash Noor (Ahmadi Noorbakhsh) of Abtulus®, VentiWatch is a practical, simple and reusable ventilation management solution supporting medical professionals and first responders with the delivery of precise and efficient ventilation during resuscitation.

DeflectaCath tipped to redefine urological care. An Australian clinical surgeon has collaborated with the Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) at Flinders University to develop a novel catheter for safely navigating the intricate curves and contours of the male urinary tract. Urological surgeon Associate Professor Ian Middleton developed "DeflectaCath," a silicone catheter equipped with a unique deflection mechanism in its tip, to simplify the insertion procedure for clinicians and improve the health outcomes for patients. DeflectaCath provides a safe and comfortable catheterisation solution for men managing health conditions or undergoing medical procedures. It allows practitioners to manoeuvre the catheter through the length and curvature...

Revolutionising the landscape of healthcare delivery, innovator Hayley Saddington has joined forces with Flinders University's Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) to build a cost-effective, clinically guided digital software application tailored for supporting in-home rehabilitation. The co-founder of Peak Medical, Hayley is a visionary in her field who has exploited artificial intelligence to create an innovative technology which empowers in-home patients to progress their rehabilitation with the confidence of precise clinical guidance. Replicating the physiotherapy experience, the technology employs an evidence-based clinical approach, directing individuals to customised exercises for continuous improvement between appointments.

Approximately 76,000 pregnant women and 500,000 babies die from pre-eclampsia across the world every year. Women in developing countries are seven times more likely to suffer from the condition due to delayed diagnosis and a lack of access to hospitals. Causes of pre-eclampsia are not entirely understood, but if left untreated it can lead to blood clots, organ failure, and death. Rapid, affordable, and accurate diagnostic tools are therefore essential in aiding treatment. Now, with the help of the Medical Device Partnering Program, a portable diagnostic device being developed by Professor Benjamin Thierry, Dr Duy Tran and a team from the University...

What started as a family injury has turned into a rehabilitation game-changer receiving global attention. The Prohab Connected Healthcare Device, the brainchild of physiotherapist Lyndon Huf, is an innovative rehabilitation device that accurately measures the force-generating capability of an individual’s muscle, in order to guide and personalise prescription of exercise and rehabilitation programs .

When Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr Matthew Liptak started noticing inconsistent outcomes in the rehabilitation of his patients after total knee replacement, he decided to take things into his own hands. He identified a gap in the market for a simple and effective device to encourage, motivate and monitor the rehabilitation of his patients post-surgery. Dr Liptak first approached the MDPP in 2013 for assistance with the development of Maxm Skate, a skate-like device which straps to a patient’s foot. Whilst he had an initial prototype of the skate, he needed R&D assistance to develop a sensor which would record the user’s range of...

Detecting cancer is set to become safer and more accurate with the development of a new cancer-detecting probe. The probe, an invention of University of South Australia researchers Professor Benjamin Thierry and Dr Aidan Cousins, provides a non-radioactive alternative to map how cancer has disseminated through the body. Following initial bench-top testing of the device, the team first partnered with the MDPP in 2013, seeking out electronic engineering expertise and advice from end users and commercial experts.

Since 1987, world-renowned sleep psychologists, Professor Leon Lack and Dr Helen Wright from Flinders University, have studied the effects of light on the human body clock. Their work focused on circadian rhythms, the fluctuations in biological process occurring on a 24-hour basis in the body. Research determined that exposure to bright light can normalize the timing of the rhythms and assist with the treatment of insomnia, winter depression, jet-lag and shift work disorder. The result of this extensive body of work was Re-Timer, glasses proven to re-time one’s body clock. The glasses shine glowing green-blue light into the eye of the wearer...

When Professor Matthew McDonald and Dr Peter Pedoulias had a revelation in the operating theatre about how spinal fusion surgery could be improved they turned to the Medical Device Partnering Program to make it a reality. Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure that corrects issues of the small bones of the spine by permanently connecting two or more vertebrae. This complex surgery is often the last resort to treat back problems and can cost around $46,700 per patient.

U-Stand Frame, Innovo Healthcare
Helping patients and aged care residents to stand is all in a day’s work for many healthcare workers - but it comes at a cost, with nursing assistants suffering one…

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The Biomedical Translation Bridge program is an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund, providing up to $1 million in matched funding to nurture the translation of new therapies, technologies and medical devices through to the proof of concept stage.

The BTB program is operated by MTPConnect, in partnership with BioCurate (University of Melbourne and Monash University), UniQuest (University of Queensland through its drug discovery initiative QEDDI), the Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP, led by Flinders University), and the Bridge and BridgeTech programs (Queensland University of Technology); all pre-eminent organisations engaged in the translation and commercialisation of health and medical research.

The MDPP's role is to assess and support eligible medical technology applications for funding, whilst BioCurate and UniQuest will together do the same for therapeutics.

The below projects were successful in securing funding from the program:

Round 1:

Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory, is developing rapid and objective eye and brain testing for better management of ophthalmic and neurological diseases.
DBS Technologies Pty Ltd, Victoria, is developing an innovative device providing adaptive deep brain stimulation for people with Parkinson’s disease.
Noisy Guts Pty Ltd, Western Australia, has developed a non-invasive acoustic belt that uses artificial intelligence to decode gut noises to accurately diagnose and monitor common gut disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Dental School, Victoria, is progressing a novel dental implant to commercialisation.

Round 2:

Bard1 Life Sciences Limited, VIC (ASX listed), is developing a novel high-throughput SubB2M-based liquid biopsy tests for breast cancer screening and monitoring based on a unique cancer-specific probe.
Cincera Therapeutics Pty Ltd, VIC/SA is developing a new drug treatment for Metabolic and Fibrotic Disease.
Envision Sciences Pty Ltd, SA is developing diagnosis and prognostic detection methods for prostate cancer, using blood and tissue samples.
LBT Innovations Limited, SA (ASX listed), is developing APAS®-AMR: An Automated Plate Assessment System for Anti-Microbial Resistance using Artificial Intelligence.
Pharmaxis Ltd, NSW (ASX listed), is developing compound PXS-4699 with tailored dual action to treat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
The University of Adelaide, SA is developing a world-first needle-free Zika virus vaccine.
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, VIC is developing a device for guiding therapy in ataxia and imbalance.
UniQuest Pty Ltd, QLD, is developing first-in-class drug candidates for the treatment of prostate and other cancers.

Round 3:

Dimerix Bioscience Pty Ltd, VIC (ASX listed), is developing a new treatment for respiratory complications as a result of COVID-19 in a global clinical study with a potential fast track pathway to clinical practice.
SpeeDx Pty Ltd, NSW is developing the InSignia(TM) Respiratory Virus Host Response test – a rapid-response COVID-19 assay to enhance Australia’s current and future pandemic preparedness.
Starpharma Pty Ltd, VIC (ASX listed), is developing an intranasal spray, utilising an already-marketed, broad-spectrum antiviral dendrimer for COVID-19 and potential use in future pandemics.
University of Melbourne, VIC is developing a novel ventilated hood for patient isolation to provide better patient respiratory treatment and protect hospital staﬀ from COVID-19.
Vaxine Pty Ltd, SA is developing an Australian COVID-19 vaccine, COVAX-19®, which comprises of a recombinant spike protein antigen formulated with Vaxine’s proprietary Advax™ adjuvant.

For more information, contact MedTech Ventures Case Manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the BTB website where you can view the BTB guidelines.

Latest News

June 2024

Continuation of MDPP

We are happy to announce that the SA State Government will continue to support the Medical Device Partnering Program so we can keep supporting early-stage medtech innovators in Australia. The...

May 2024

We're Hiring! Innovations Manager

We're hiring! We’re looking for a new Innovations Manager at Medical Device Partnering Program! The Innovations Manager will work with applicants to the Medical Device Partnering Program, assessing the viability of new...

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