NHMRC project "Engineered drugs that specifically inhibit clotting "

Overview:

Myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke remain leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. This PhD project is part of a large NHMRC-funded initiative aiming to develop engineered drugs that specifically inhibit clotting at pathological thrombus formation sites, thus eliminating the risk of major bleeding complications associated with generic anticoagulant therapies.

Project objectives:

1. Design and Testing of Biomimetic Microfluidic Systems:
   • Utilize computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to design microfluidic layouts that replicate the diverse stenosis geometries observed in vivo.
   • Fabricate the selected microfluidic designs in RMIT’s cleanroom facilities.
   • Test the functional performance of these designs using micro particle image velocimetry (μPIV).
2. Integration of Machine Learning for Experimental Optimization:
   • Employ machine learning and AI to optimize the experimental parameter space, minimizing the need for extensive experimental variations.
3. Validation with Real Blood Samples:
   • Conduct testing of microfluidic chips with real blood samples in collaboration with Monash University.
   • Generalize findings across various thrombotic conditions to enhance the applicability of results.