Commercialisation Brochure

Edith Cowan University
Office of Research and Innovation
Commercialisation@ECU
Research making a difference
Edith Cowan University’s goal is the translation of cutting edge research into innovative products, processes and
services to generate economic and societal benefits for the community, ECU researchers and the University”

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Contents
Message from the Vice-Chancellor 2
Research@ECU: Focus and profile 3
Business and Society 4
Education 8
Electronic Engineering and ICT 12
Environment and Sustainability 16
Health and Wellness 20
Social and Community 28
Communications and Creative Arts 30
Security, Law and Justice 32
FORMOREINFORMATIONONANYOFTHEPROJECTSLISTEDPLEASECONTACT:
Dr Marcia Taylor
Director, Office of Research and Innovation
T: 618 6304 5401
Email: m.taylor@ecu.edu.au

Message from the
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research
Cutting-edge research underpins successful commercialisation
outcomes and Edith Cowan University is committed to undertaking high-
quality research which has strong social, economic, environmental and
cultural impact.
In the current Knowledge Economy, Universities as major Centres of
Learning and Research are important sources of ideas that can be turned
into new Products, Processes and Systems. However those ideas will only
show an economic return if they can be effectively applied by Industry. An
Important element of the National Innovation System will be the quality of
the linkages between Universities, Industries and Investors.
Research and Innovation at ECU reflects current trends in the national and
international research environment which are characterised by the dual
strategies of concentration and collaboration. Identifying the University’s
areas of research strength has enabled a concentration of expertise,
resources and effort. Collaboration and engagement are encouraged and
as a result, ECU has a strong track record of linkages with local, national
and international institutions, industry and community partners, and all
levels of government.
Edith Cowan University has adopted a proactive approach to the
commercialisation of its intellectual property during recent years with many
positive outcomes. We have focused on building the internal processes
and capacity, which has seen the commercialisation arm of the Office
of Research and Innovation manage many successful commercialisation
projects. Most notably, ECU was awarded winner of the 2007 West
Australian Inventor of the Year in the Early Stage Category for the Optical
Interconnect Technology – an invention providing high-speed data
transmission using photonics. As evidenced in the ECU Annual Goals
for 2008, commercialisation has been directly targeted for the first time,
demonstrating ECU’s commitment to ‘Research that Makes a Difference’.
This publication showcases some the exciting new technologies in ECU’s
commercialisation portfolio. It highlights the quality and depth of ECU
Research and Innovation and its significant contribution to the human
community we serve.
Professor John Finlay-Jones
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
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Message from the Director,
The commercialisation arm of the Office of Research and Innovation serves
as the catalyst between inventors and industry to support the creation and
development of early stage technologies. The office itself is about three years
old but in the last two years, has expanded the commercialisation portfolio
from twelve projects to forty-two with some of the more advanced projects
presented in this brochure.
Commercialisation is a by-product of a virtuous research cycle but neither
research nor commercialisation happens by chance – both are a result of
strategic thinking, effective policies, skilful execution and wise investing.
As a young commercialisation office, we strive to ensure that our processes
are in line with best practice, to gradually build our research commercialisation
capabilities and that we are strategic in our focus and investment and are
responsive to real world problems and issues.
One of the key challenges facing commercialisation at Universities is the
gap in funding required to bridge early stage research and venture capital or
commercial investment. While the ultimate goal is to establish a pre-seed
fund at ECU, in the interim, ECU has committed part of its internal funds
to assist in bridging this gap. We have also forged relationships with key
Business Angel and Venture Capital firms in Australia and overseas with the
view to identifying potential sources of investment and co-investment to assist
in the commercialisation of its technologies.
Key to the success of research commercialisation is building effective
partnerships between Universities, Industry and Investors. To forge these links
with Industry, engagement events and targeted Industry visits are organised
regularly to showcase ECU’s innovative research outcomes and to foster
collaboration and engagement. The University’s approach is differentiated,
targeted and welcoming of quality collaborative partners.
We are proud of the world-class cutting-edge technologies developed at
ECU and look forward to working with potential partners to progress the
commercialisation of our innovations.
Dr Marcia Taylor
Director, Office of Research and Innovation
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Electronic Engineering and ICT
Engineering and ICT
MicroPhotonics research at ECU is advancing electron
and photon science and engineering and focusing on
the development of integrated intelligent MicroPhotonic
platforms for use in telecommunications, health, agriculture,
consumer electronics, energy and security.
MicroPhotonics research is centred around several
research programs – Opto-VLSI, high-speed
optoelectronics, lightwave testing, nano-engineered
materials and structures, RF-photonics, adaptive optics,
remote sensing and reconfigurable systems.
Research in communications engineering includes
signal and image processing, video and multimedia
communications, network survivability and optical and
wireless networking including quality and service issues.
Additional areas of expertise include software engineering,
computer network and information security, intelligence
systems and information and knowledge management.
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Optical Interconnect Technology (OIT)
High speed interconnects for very short distance communications links
Winner 2007 WA Inventor of the Year Competition (Early Stage Category)
Fibre optic technology now dominates medium to long distance data
communications links due to its greater overall bandwidth, immunity to
electro-magnetic interference, and lower losses. However, the use of optical
interconnects over very short distances has been limited by the available optical
technology and the prohibitive cost in comparison to electrical technology.
The amount of data transferred electronically around the world is doubling every
year, and conventional electrical interconnects are not capable of supporting
future rates. As a result, the international computing, communications and
semiconductor industries are actively looking for alternative solutions for board-
to-board, chip-to-chip, and intra-chip interconnects.
The immediately addressable market for board-to-board and chip-to-chip
optical interconnects is projected to reach USD 1 billion by 2011, with the
use of high speed interconnects within and between high end computing
and networking equipment.
The technology is highly scalable and also lends itself to widespread use
within personal computers, consumer devices and cars, representing a multi-
billion dollar interconnect market segments. In addition, intra-chip optical
interconnects have the potential to become an essential technology for the
USD 255 billion semiconductor industry over the coming five to ten years.
The technology is a significant step in the quest to “siliconize” photonics.
The key advantages of the technology are its:
ability to be cost effectively produced;1.
very small size;2.
ability to be integrated with micro-electronic (silicon) chips;3.
low power consumption and thermal losses; and4.
its ability to transmit data through glass fibre, plastic optical fibre,5.
polymer waveguides, or free space.
The technology has been jointly developed by the WA Centre of Excellence
for MicroPhotonic Systems at ECU and the Gwangju Institute of Science
and Technology (GIST) In Korea. A proof of concept demonstrator has been
successfully completed, and ECU and GIST jointly hold three patents related
to the technology.
The manufacture and optimisation of a multi-channel demonstrator is
currently underway. The next technical milestone is the development of a
pre-production prototype.
A spin-out company is planned to exploit this business opportunity, and is
expected to be investment ready in 2009.
Integrated Broadband RF-Digital Link
Novel software configurable chip for the digitization of broadband
Radio Frequency signals
Finalist 2008 WA Inventor of the Year Competition (Early Stage Category)
The Square Kilometre Array Radio (SKA) Telescope, the largest global
scientific project of its kind. More than 100 ‘dish array stations’ will
collect more data in 6 hours than has ever been collected in the history
of radioastronomy. The vast amount of data creates an incredible
technical challenge – the conversion of massive amounts of radio waves
into a digital format for transport and processing. Current methods
being proposed are extremely expensive, have high power draw and
result in “noisy” signals due to the transmission of analogue signals via
fibre optics.
The technology, jointly developed by the WA Centre of Excellence
for MicroPhotonic Systems and the Gwangju Institute of Science and
Technology (GIST), enables the conversion of broadband radio frequency
(RF) signals into noise-free digital data. In addition, the invention is
software programmable and therefore can be tuned remotely to suit the
signal bandwidth being targeted by the SKA and any other application.
Another significant application of the technology is in wireless broadband
networks. Rapid growth in the number of wireless broadband subscribers
globally (500 million by 2011) and each subscriber’s demand for more
data, has resulted in the next generation of wireless internet standards
(4G) specifying download rates up to 200 times faster than 3G. However,
current infrastructure is not capable of supporting this increased network
traffic creating a need for new base station infrastructure.
Specifically, 4G technologies will require smart antennas that can support
more subscribers within a wireless network cell and simultaneously
increase the upload and download capacity available to each subscriber.
However, the cost of upgrading the existing infrastructure and rolling out
new infrastructure using currently available technology is substantial and
there is a demand for technology that reduces capital and operating costs.
The estimated market for RF components used in base stations is over
USD 1 billion. In addition, mobile base station shipments are expected
to grow at a compound annual average growth rate of over 69% between
2008 and 2013 creating a significant opportunity for new technologies.
The key advantages of this technology are its:
reduced physical size (requiring less supporting infrastructure);6.
high speed signal processing capability;7.
significantly lower cost;8.
lower power;9.
software programmable (facilitating tuning and upgrading of10.
antennas); and
ability to support multiple 4G wireless broadband standards.11.
A narrow band discrete RF to digital converter has been developed, a
provisional patent filed and the design of a broadband RF-digital Chip
is underway. The next step will be to develop a prototype device based
on this design for use in demonstrating the technology’s capabilities to
potential customers and licensees.
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Engineering and ICT

Engineering and ICT
LiveLens
Spatial aperturing for unprecedented creative control in photography
Overall winner of the 2006 WA Inventor of the Year Competition
The LiveLens solves the most persistent and fundamental problem of
photography - detail loss through under or over exposure. By instantly
reacting to the luminance of the subject and partially blocking light in
the brighter areas, LiveLens is able to vastly expand the dynamic range
of cameras. For video, digital and film format cameras, the LiveLens can
eliminate the need to set up bulky and costly lighting equipment to ‘fill’
shadow areas of a scene.
The technology combines established semiconductor and LCD manufacturing
processes to form a unique electro-optical matrix of photo-sensitive and
liquid crystal elements. The pixels react instantaneously to the brightest
regions within an image, acting as a spatial aperture. This forces the darker
regions to be captured in full detail without overexposure in brighter areas
that would normally occur.
Live Technologies Ltd has contracted the ECU Micro-photonics group to
provide the expertise necessary to develop the patented electro-optical
technology. ECU has provided a key role in development of the LiveLens
working prototypes and is continuing development through to commercial
ready stage.
Weed Control Systems
Real-time, High-speed, Precision Agriculture
Semi-Finalist in the 2008 WA Inventor of the Year - Development Category
In collaboration with Photonic Detection Systems Pty Ltd (PDS),
researchers at the WA Centre of Excellence for Micro-Photonic
Systems, part of the Electron Science Research Institute (ESRI) at ECU
have developed a High Speed Weed Identification system to achieve
Precision Spot Spraying of weeds, reducing herbicide use by up to 60%
and increase crop yield.
The control of weeds currently costs Australian farmers around $4
billion per year, through a combination of the cost of herbicides,
reduced yield and loss of production. The current industry practice of
blanket spraying large volumes of herbicides at different times of the
cultivation cycle is inherently wasteful, costing Australian farmers in
excess of $1billion p.a. and $30 billion p.a. globally.
The Micro-Photonic Weed Sensor is an automated system using
a 3-wavelength collimated laser detection module and precision
agriculture predictive model that is able to accurately discriminate
weeds from surrounding crops (“green-from-green”). The systems is less
invasive and more cost-effective than blanket spraying, as the individual
weeds are located and sprayed selectively, reducing herbicide use
significantly. This also enhances the cropping cycle of wheat, barley and
sugarcane which have a combined Australia-wide annual market of $8.8
billion. This system can be readily retrofitted onto existing spray-boom
systems and operates at full production speeds.
The IP has been generated by Professor Kamal Alameh and exclusively
licensed to PDS providing the rights to the patent in return for an
upfront licensing fee and royalty payments from commercialisation of
the product. PDS and ECU are currently working with industry partners
in WA and Queensland to trial the systems and commercialise the
technology via existing agricultural machinery leasing channels.
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Physical Vapour Control System
In-situ real-time optoelectronic process control system for
physical vapour
Deposition equipment, allowing precise control of material deposition
and etching. This system replaces expensive existing technology with an
accurate, user-friendly and cost effective control system, easily retro-fitted
to existing equipment and requiring no consumables for use.
PVD (Physical vapour deposition) is a technique used in a variety of
industries including semiconductors/microelectronics and cutting tool
manufacture. It is predicted that the market for PVD equipment will
reach US$8.4 billion by 2010, growing at 10.4% per annum. The need for
adequate process control in these markets is clear with a current lack of
such systems resulting in sub-optimal equipment functioning, unacceptably
low yields and process inefficiencies.
By providing a cost-effective, retrofit solution for PVD equipment, this
invention solves the need for precise control of these processes allowing
more complex production techniques to be used, higher yields to be
achieved and substantial cost savings through improved efficiency. While
a number of process control systems are on the market, this invention has
significant advantages over such products including:
• Ease of installation • Self-calibration
• User friendly software and ease of
operator training
• Ability to generate reliable data in
non-ideal measurement conditions
• In situ rather than remove monitoring • Relatively low unit cost
• No consumables required • Able to be retrofitted to existing
equipment
This system was developed jointly by the WA Centre of Excellence for Micro
Photonic Systems at ECU and the Gwanji Institute of Science and Technology.
A pre-production prototype is currently in development and the inventors hope
to attract the interest of PVD equipment manufacturers while pursuing the
market for retrofitting of this system to existing PVD equipment.
Cool Clothing
Automated lightweight heat transfer fabric that captures and
removes heat from a wearer’s body, preventing heat stress in
hazardous occupations and in athletes.
Heat stress is a significant danger in many occupations, potentially
causing heat related injuries, organ failure and even death. Heat
stress is even more of a danger in occupations requiring the use of
protective equipment (fire service, military, mining etc). With heat
stress considered to be one of the most common and potentially
serious illnesses at many worksites, the market for “smart” fabrics is
growing from a current value of US$642 million at a compound annual
growth rate of between 18 and 25%.
This invention solves the heat stress problem through the use of low
weight, efficient cooling devices combined with micro-pumping to
create lightweight “smart” clothing. It has significant advantages over
existing bulky products such as ice-vests as it is reusable, has a longer
usable life and can be worn underneath the protective equipment that
is required by many professions.
This product has been developed in collaboration between the WA
Centre of Excellence for Micro Photonic Systems and the School of
Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences at ECU. Intellectual property
protection is being sought, a bench-top prototype has been completed
and the research team is now working towards creation of a complete
garment that meets hazardous occupation requirements.
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Engineering and ICT

Engineering and ICT
ENAR
Automated vehicle data recorder to reduce traffic accidents, improve
crash reconstructions and lower motor vehicle insurance premiums
ENAR addresses the ever-increasing cost of motor vehicle insurance by
providing insurers with a streamlined process for determining the parties
at fault in an accident. The system also provides feedback to drivers on
their driving behaviour, presenting warnings when hazardous situations
are detected. Crash data retrieved from the device will help lower the cost
base for insurance companies and result in lower premiums. This will be
particularly attractive to the fleet market, empowering fleet managers to
reduce costs of maintenance, insurance and claims. The fleet market alone
represents 50% of new car registrations in Australia with some 4.3 million
vehicles in operation. Freight vehicles also represent a substantial market
with 2.5 million freight vehicles currently operating in Australia.
No solution currently on the market can capture the range of data necessary
to accurately reconstruct accident events and change driver behaviour. The
ENAR system is independent of original vehicle design and can be fitted to
existing vehicles. It captures a wealth of information including:
• Vehicle speed • “hoon” behaviour
• Use of seat belts • Monitoring and road hazards
• Signs of fatigue • Identification of road hazard trouble
spots
• Adherence to road signs/traffic lights • Environmental emissions
• Accidents/collisions • Crash reconstruction
• Signs of drug use • Positive driver ID
• Use of mobile phones while driving • Location of stolen vehicles.
ENAR was developed through collaboration between the Electron Science
Institute at ECU and Omiron Corporation Pty Ltd. With the design phase
now complete, the team is working on a prototype of the system and intends
to move to car installation trials in the near future.
Wireless Token Network
Firmware to improve the quality of service for data streaming of
time sensitive services in Wireless Local Area Networks
With the increasing number of Voice over IP (VoIP) users, providing
quality of service (QoS) for time-sensitive services (such as voice and
video streaming) over wireless networks is fast becoming a problem.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has attempted
to solve this problem by introducing the 802.11e wireless protocol
which identifies those data packets that are time-sensitive by giving
them transmission priority. While this provides network prioritisation
for time sensitive data it restricts the number of users able to connect
to the wireless network.
Researchers at ECU’s Centre for Communications Engineering Research
(CCER) have developed a firmware application referred to as Wireless
Token Network (WTN) which ensures that each of the data connections
have an equal chance of access, while ensuring that time-sensitive
applications are given the access that they require. This is especially
useful for voice over WLAN phones and wireless connections to the
network that wish to use time-sensitive applications such as voice
and video over IP (e.g., Skype). Globally there were over 80 million
subscribers to VoIP services in 2007. A provisional US patent has been
filed for the technology and further development is underway.
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State Model Diagrams
A novel pedagogical model for network technology education
The Cisco Network Academy Program (CNAP) is the world’s largest computer
network curriculum used globally in high schools, colleges, universities and
defines the benchmark education standard in this field. Since its inception
in 1998, CNAP has been taught to more than 1,600,000 students in over
12,000 Cisco Academies in 150 countries. Analysis by Associate Professor
Dr S.P. Maj found a number of significant shortcomings with CNAP from
which he developed an innovative new method for modelling computer
network devices called State Model Diagrams (SMDs). Extensive trialling
has demonstrated the following benefits with SMDs:
A single common template that can be used for all network devices and1.
protocols;
Language independent - removes the need to learn through complex2.
textual ‘computer’ language, which often causes problems when
translated from English;
Provides an overview and increasing levels of detail whilst maintaining3.
links and interfaces (i.e. ‘zoom in and zoom out’);
Significantly improves student learning outcomes particularly for those4.
new to computer network technology, whilst also providing new insights
to those more experienced; and
Can potentially significantly improve network management.5.
This highly innovative RD of a network curriculum and associated software
has been acknowledged by the Cisco Network Academy (Asia/Pacific) and
the Cisco Learning Institute as being cutting edge and world class in its
simplification of a very complex subject. This new method of teaching,
which is substantially independent of the language of instruction, has the
potential to define international best practices in innovative curriculum
design and hence assist teachers and students on a global scale.
Furthermore, this new modelling method and associated software provides
a new, vendor independent method for managing networks. Work to date
has demonstrated this new method considerably simplifies many network
management tasks - as such there is considerable commercial potential.
2D Colour Barcoding
High capacity Mobile Multi-Coloured Composite 2D-barcode for
mobile phone applications
MMCC™ is a colour, two-dimensional (2D) barcode designed to
disseminate high capacity mobile phone content via existing colour
print and electronic media, without the need for network connectivity.
Consumers can use 2D barcodes to gain instant access to complex
information, such as drivers’ licence details, product and service prices,
recipes or bus timetables... simply by scanning the colour barcode.
This represents a significant change in customer convenience.
Being encoded in both the height and width of the symbol and in the
colour of the pixels, a significantly greater amount of data can be
stored than in the traditional binary barcode symbol. With MMCC™
mobile content can be disseminated on most printed media to mobile
camera phones worldwide.
MMCC™ is the only colour 2D-barcode tailored to suit the limitations
of low resolution camera mobile phones (from VGA resolutions
onwards) that can be printed on paper using more than 8 colours. This
currently translates to application across more than 1 billion existing
mobile users. A recent study noted that in Japan where 76% of the
population is familiar with camera phone based barcode scanning, 65%
of males and 48% of females had used black and white 2D barcodes
within the 3 month period prior to the study.
MMCC™ is being developed jointly by Dr. Alfred Tan, School of
Computer and Information Science (SCIS) and Dr. Douglas Chai, School
of Engineering (SoE). A provisional patent has been filed and capital
is being sought to develop a suite of mobile encoding and decoding
softwares for mainstream, low resolution camera mobile phones.
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Engineering and ICT

Engineering and ICT
Smart Foetal Monitoring
Low-cost foetal heart rate and activity monitoring for remote and
rural communities
The poor birth statistics (such as rate of preterm birth) among the
Indigenous population in remote and rural Australia is more than twice
of that of the non-Indigenous population over the past decade. Among
the many studies completed, it was found that increased access to
antenatal care, such as ultrasound scans and monitoring of the foetal
heart rate (FHR), among such communities leads to significantly fewer
preterm births among such rural and remote Indigenous populations.
While FHR monitoring cannot prevent a problem pregnancy from
occurring, it can alert an Obstetrician or Midwife to warning signs and
allow them to take steps to help the baby. The tyranny of distance
prevents remote and rural Indigenous populations from accessing even
reasonable quality antenatal care to remote and rural populations.
Although these remote and rural populations are physically distant
from such needed medical care, such communities are often connected
to the outside world through modern communication technologies, such
as satellite phones. Hence, through the deployment of telemedicine
technologies, it is possible to extend some parts of such quality
antenatal care to these remote and rural communities.
Dr Alfred Tan and Dr Martin Masek, at School of Computer and
Information Science (SCIS), Edith Cowan University, have been awarded
US$100,000 from Microsoft to research mobile solutions to this
important problem. The result is a solution with the following benefits:
A simple mobile foetal heart rate and activity monitoring system,1.
operating on “off-the-shelf” smart mobile phones and inexpensive,
portable, handheld ‘Doppler’ devices;
Real time and constant antenatal care and monitoring via mobile2.
networks, overcoming the tyranny of distance for rural and remote
communities;
Cost reduction - Applicable to all settings (both urban and rural),3.
reducing the ever growing demand for hospital beds, when health
resources are already stretched to their limits;
Software downloadable to any smart mobile phones with minimal4.
operating costs.
Healthcare providers and investment partners are being sought to
extend this innovative technology for further trials and deployment
nationally and internationally. The primary focus will be to leverage
contributions (financial and in-kind) from such partners to attain
government support for further developments.
Remote Monitoring Disease
Management System
Online electronic patient data management system linked to patient
monitoring devices for disease management by medical specialists
Hospitals are increasingly moving towards a “paperless” model where
patient data is stored electronically. The market for medical patient
information management software is growing at 30% per year and with over
5000 hospitals in the US alone, the market potential for such solutions is
substantial.
While software based patient data management solutions exist, they are
limited in that specialists need to be present on a ward to access patient
data. This significantly limits flexibility and reduces the number of patients
a specialist can manage. If a physician could remotely monitor a patient’s
status they could see more patients overall, and notify ward staff of
worrying trends/emergency situations remotely.
This invention presents medical specialists with patient data over any
period of time from anywhere they can access the internet. It presents
data graphically allowing identifications of patterns and includes facilities
for sending messages to relevant hospital staff. Specialists can identify
patterns between different diseases and determine medication effects more
readily.
This invention was developed by Jawed Tarin, a former ECU student and
was supported by the ECU’s School of Engineering. A successful pilot
program has been conducted at Royal Perth Hospital and the IP from this
project is being assigned to ECU for commercialisation.
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Health and Wellness
ECU’s health research focuses on preventative health.
This area of research strength enables early detection,
intervention and rehabilitation and develops strategies
and programs which impact on community-wide health.
Specific areas of expertise include:
• Research into the onset, causes, treatment and
support mechanisms for Alzheimer’s Disease patients
and the ageing
• Multidisciplinary teams in exercise and sports science,
nutrition and psychology researching new wellness
approaches to chronic disease management
• Research in palliative cancer care, nursing, midwifery,
and Indigenous health
• multi-disciplinary research widely recognised for its
school and community-based programs in evidence-
based bullying prevention and mental health promotion;
drug use prevention, cessation, and harm minimisation;
road safety and injury control; and the prevention of
overweight and obesity in children
• Stem cell and melanoma research.
ECU has nationally and internationally recognised health
researchers, supported by extensive collaborations and
partnerships.
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Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness
Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnostic
Imaging Agent
PET / SPECT imaging of beta amyloid for the early diagnosis of
Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, yet
currently, there is no way to diagnose AD in its early stages. Early diagnosis
would provide the best chance for drug and other interventions to treat or
slow the progression of the disease. The development of an effective and
improved diagnostic method has the potential to minimise the enormous
impact that AD will have on health, quality of life and healthcare costs in
the coming years.
There is now overwhelming evidence that the over production and
accumulation of beta amyloid (Aß) in the brain is central to the disease,
resulting in the destruction of brain cells and deterioration of mental
function. The compounds currently being developed by Alzhyme Pty Ltd
for the treatment of AD bind to the Aß molecule, and therefore have the
potential to be developed as molecular imaging agents using Positron
Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed
Tomography (SPECT) imaging techniques. The key advantages of the
technology are:
More accurate diagnosis early in the disease course before significant1.
memory loss;
Earlier and more appropriate treatment and management of patients;2.
Identification of mild cognitive impairment as a precursor to AD; and3.
Monitoring the response to treatment with new Aß targeting therapeutics.4.
This project is being carried out under contract on behalf of Alzhyme by
Professor Ralph Martins and his team of researchers within the WA Centre
of Excellence in Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Care. To accelerate this
project, a collaborative research agreement has been established with the
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). The
aim is to develop a radiopharmaceutical agent to image Aß deposits in the
brains of living patients for an early diagnostic and imaging test for AD.
Diagnostic Blood Test for
Detection of beta amyloid in blood serum for the diagnosis of
The pathogenic processes of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) begin years before
clinical symptoms can be observed. Currently there are no definitive
diagnostic tests for AD, with the clinical diagnosis of the disease primarily
based on subjective methods such as cognitive testing by physicians. There
remains a considerable unmet market for a reliable, cost effective and
minimally invasive test that would allow early accurate diagnosis of AD and
result in improved patient treatment.
The aim of this project is to develop a minimally-invasive, low cost yet
reliable diagnostic kit for the routine detection of beta amyloid (Aß) in blood
serum. Analysts predict that a diagnostic test for AD in blood serum would
generate worldwide annual sales of USD1 billion.
The initial challenge will be to develop a solution capable of isolating
and preserving Aß from the other elements in blood serum. Detection
will be achieved using established antibodies for Aß in combination
with the latest technologies in flow cytometry, microspheres, lasers,
digital signal processing and traditional chemistry. By harnessing these
technologies the proposed test will benefit from being rapid, low cost
and reliable. In addition, such a test would improve clinical trials by
facilitating better patient recruitment (e.g. more accurate diagnosis) and
monitoring of drug efficacy.
As with the imaging research above, this project is being carried out under
contract on behalf of Alzhyme Pty Ltd by Professor Ralph Martins and his
team of researchers.
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Health and Wellness
Naltrexone as a therapeutic for the
treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Potential treatment via hormone modulation of beta amyloid production
A risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is increased blood levels of
gonadotropins, particularly Luteinizing Hormone (LH). Professor Martins and
his group has identified that LH plays a role in AD pathogeneisis, particularly
in regulating beta amyloid (Aß). The use of LH lowering agents such as
leuprolide has been shown to lower Aß accumulation in the brains of
transgenic mice and improve cognition, indicating that lowering LH levels is
a target for developing therapeutic strategies.
Already affecting an estimated 20 million people worldwide, the prevalence
of this debilitating disease is expected to double by 2025 due to the ageing
population. The market for treatments that ease the symptoms of the
disease reached nearly US$3 billion in 2004; however there are presently no
disease modifying drugs available.
Naltrexone is currently approved on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme
for the management of alcohol and opioid dependence. Work by ECU’s
Professor Ralph Martins and collaborator, Professor Gary Hulse (UWA) has
identified that this compound can lower LH levels in blood. The group now
have preliminary data showing a trend towards a reduction in Aß levels
in patients following Naltrexone treatment. In addition, the group has
identified another feature of Naltrexone in that it can reduce Aß mediated
toxicity in neuronal cell culture, suggesting that it can prevent Aß-induced
neuronal death. A provisional patent has been filed for Naltrexone as a
therapeutic for the treatment of AD.
Gamma Secretase Inhibition as a means
to treat Alzheimer’s disease
Addressing the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease by
developing agents to attenuate the enzyme responsible for beta
amyloid production
The majority of drugs aimed at reducing the accumulation of beta amyloid
(Aß) by targeting the gamma secretase enzyme have failed pre-clinical trials.
A reason for this is that this enzyme is also important for normal cellular
function. The challenge is therefore to identify the critical site within the
gamma secretase that is responsible for generating Aß, without affecting
normal cellular function.
The market for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) drugs is estimated to grow at
15% annually and reach $5.5 billion by 2009. However, currently marketed
drugs such acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine and
galantamine) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, memantine
only treat disease symptoms without targeting underlying degeneration of
neuronal cells. Therefore, new, disease modifying treatments are urgently
needed.
ECU’s novel approach is to identify sites within this enzyme that are
specifically responsible for generating Aß without altering its activity on
other proteins. Once this site has been identified, an in-vitro assay can be
developed to allow screening of potential drugs aimed at lowering Aß levels
with high specificity.
Professor Ralph Martins and his team at ECU have currently reconstructed
the gamma secretase enzyme complex in vitro. The next stage is to validate
its activity and to identify particular sites within the enzyme that are critical
for its activity on Aß. Although currently in its initial stages, the outcomes
of this project would be appealing to the pharmaceutical industry.

Superior drug screening in
Transgenic zebrafish model for rapid, low-cost, high throughput
screening of therapeutic agents for Alzheimer’s Disease
The only available in-vivo tool for pre-clinical evaluation of potential
drug agents for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is transgenic mice models.
This current approach has limitations in high throughput screening due
to the large animal numbers needed and the significant costs and time
associated with undertaking such experiments.
The zebrafish is becoming increasingly popular in drug screening as they
are available in large numbers and have a very rapid developmental
cycle with a basic embryology and brain development that is similar to
humans. Developing a high throughput in-vivo assay using the transgenic
zebrafish model for AD would be appealing to the pharmaceutical
industry.
The benefits of using zebrafish are their availability in large numbers,
their very good visibility and very rapid development compared to other
vertebrate models. This allows for rapid screening of potential drug
candidates. It has been estimated that the maintenance cost of zebrafish
are less than 1/1000th the cost of maintaining mice.
The team at ECU’s Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer’s disease Research
is currently validating an assay for beta amyloid (Aß) toxicity using
non-transgenic zebrafish to establish baseline controls and in parallel
is developing the transgenic zebrafish model for AD. This in-vivo assay
would be suitable for rapidly screening potential therapeutic agents that
neutralise Aß toxicity.
Combination treatment for
Using testosterone and Vitamin E in combination to achieve a
synergistic effect in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
The market for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) drugs is estimated to grow at 15%
annually and reach $5.5 billion by 2009. However, currently marketed drugs
such acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine)
and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, memantine only treat
disease symptoms without targeting underlying degeneration of neuronal
cells. Therefore, new disease modifying treatments are urgently needed.
One mechanism proposed to contribute to AD is the age related imbalances
in hormone levels. Similar to a decline in oestrogen levels during menopause,
reduced levels of testosterone during andropause have been associated with
an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Reduced testosterone
levels have also been shown to promote the accumulation of beta amyloid
(Aß), a protein implicated in neurotoxicity and neuronal death.
In collaboration with Lawley Pharmaceutical Ltd, Professor Ralph Martins and
his team at the WA Centre of Excellence in Alzheimer’s Disease Research and
Care have found that testosterone replacement therapy lowers the levels of
Aß in an animal model of late onset AD and in a human pilot study.
Whilst studies on the effects of testosterone and Vitamin E in isolation have
not revealed a clinically significant effect, ECU’s research suggests that in
combination these two treatments would have a synergistic effect on the level
of Aß production and levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. This work
has led to a pharmaceutical composition, comprising testosterone and vitamin
E for the treatment of AD. Intellectual property is being sought to in parallel
with the work progressing.
14
Health and Wellness

15
Health and Wellness
Combination Nutraceutical for the
prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease
DHA, polyphenols and plant extracts to provide a synergistic
protective effect for the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease
In addition to genetics and other environmental factors, diet is
considered to play an important role in the development of Alzheimer’s
disease (AD). Many western diets have been reported to be deficient in
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and are also low in polyphenolic content.
Therefore, supplementation with DHA and polyphenols may offer
potential preventative treatments for AD.
Over the past decade, polyphenols, which are abundant in fruits and
vegetables, have gained recognition for their antioxidant properties and
their roles in protecting against chronic diseases such as cancer and
cardiovascular disease. Evidence also suggests that a low dietary intake
of omega-3 essential fatty acids may be a risk factor for AD. DHA is one
of the major omega-3s in the brain, being particularly enriched in neurons
and at synapses. DHA is associated with learning and memory and is
also required for the structure and function of brain cell membranes. In
the AD brain, DHA is known to be decreased, while people who ingest
higher levels of DHA are less likely to develop AD.
Professor Martins and his group have preliminary data showing
reductions in toxic Aß levels following dietary feeding with green
tea polyphenols and DHA-enriched fish oil in an animal model for
late-onset AD. The efficacy of purified supplements of DHA, green tea
polyphenols, and other nutraceuticals are currently being assessed in a
transgenic mouse model for AD. Favourable outcomes in these in vivo
studies will allow for the commencement of clinical trials assessing
the efficacy of these purified supplements in the prevention of AD.
Melanoma Diagnostic/
Prognostic Assay
A non-invasive blood test for melanoma that reliably detects early
stage tumour spread and thus has the potential to improve diagnosis,
staging, progression and treatment monitoring.
At present, melanoma metastases are most often first detected using
scanning techniques or invasive biopsies conducted on the lymph nodes
or systemic tissues. These techniques cannot reliably detect early stage
metastases thereby creating a demand for more sensitive techniques.
The world wide incidence of melanoma in 2002 was 160,177 cases and is
increasing at 6-7% per annum making it the fastest growing of all cancers.
Melanoma is responsible for 80% of skin cancer related deaths and cutaneous
malignant melanoma (CMM) represents 90% of all melanoma. In Australia
the incidence of CMM is increasing (1000 new cases annually in Western
Australia alone) and mortality rates remain high (WA Cancer Registry, 2004).
ECU Associate Professor Melanie Ziman of the School of Exercise, Biomedical
and Health Sciences, has identified markers that can be used to detect
melanoma and melanoma metastasis in patient blood. The markers have
potential to enable more efficient diagnosis and staging of melanoma and to
assist with monitoring disease progression and treatment responses
To date over 200 patients have been tested and results show that the test
has significant diagnostic significance. Further research over the next year
will focus on confirming the prognostic capabilities of the markers. A patent
application is being prepared and a full market analysis is underway to
develop the commercialisation strategy.

Friendly Schools and Families
An evidence-based whole-school approach to the reduction of
bullying in Primary Schools
Bullying touches almost everyone’s life, it is widespread and harmful, and as we
learn more about its lasting effects it is becoming an issue of growing concern to
practitioners, parents and researchers. Bullying can have a long term impact on
a child’s self esteem, social skills and academic capacity, and for these reasons
there is a need for evidence based programs to be implemented into the 7,700
primary schools across Australia.
Friendly Schools and Families (FSF) targets primary schools and provides
‘small steps for success’ from which schools can systematically implement
and tailor strategies to reduce bullying. FSF is designed to help all members
of the school community including teachers, school administrators and
parents. Comprising a Whole School Pack FSF is designed to guide the
programs effective implementation and provide strategies and actions for
schools to improve social skills and to help reduce bullying; and a Classroom
Pack made up of Teaching and Learning Handbooks targeted to children aged
between 4 and 13 which provide information and a variety of interactive
strategies to build children’s social skills and ultimately reduce bullying.
Developed by a team of researchers led by Professor Donna Cross from the
Child Health Promotion Research Centre (CHPRC) the FSF program is based
on 6 years of rigorous scientific research into bullying, involving over 6000
schools students. This included a four-year intervention research project to
evaluate the best whole-school strategies to reducing bullying (2000-2003);
and a second more targeted program which included a stronger focus on
capacity building and involving families (2002-2004).
FSF is one of the few interventions empirically tested in schools. FSF has been
shown to significantly reduce bullying behaviour, promote greater feelings
of safety and happiness at school and increase social skills among children
compared to those who did not receive the program. The material is reviewed
and updated regularly with ongoing research and now forms the supporting
framework for numerous other evidence based intervention programs that are
being developed and evaluated by the CHPRC.
The FSF product suite is being distributed under licence by the Australian
Council for Education Research. The program has been successfully
disseminated to over 1,800 primary schools throughout Australia and ACER
and ECU are now seeking to expand further into international markets to
tackle the problem of bullying on a global level.
Supportive Schools
A bullying reduction program focused on the transition from
primary to secondary school
In Australia bullying tends to peak twice in a school student’s life – firstly
between the ages of 10 to 12, then during the two years following a
student’s transition to secondary school. The effects of bullying can be
severe; mentally, socially, physically and academically, and often persist
into adulthood. While interventions to counter bullying in schools are
currently considered a high priority in Australia, there is a distinct lack of
successful interventions targeting the 2,600 secondary schools.
The Supportive Schools program targets four levels: the whole-school,
the classroom, the individual and the home and comprises specific
material for students in the transition period from primary school as
well as a Whole School Manual for combating bullying in the secondary
school setting.
A three year randomised trial between 2005 and 2007 found significant
positive effects on bullying and school connectedness among students
who received the program. The program materials are currently being
prepared for market. A 2009 launch for the Supportive Schools Program
is envisaged.
16
Health and Wellness

17
Health and Wellness
Childhood Aggression Prevention
(CAP) Project
Addressing early childhood aggressive behaviour to combat
later stage health ramifications
Although many of the health ramifications of aggression are not
experienced until adolescence or adulthood, developmental pathways
to such outcomes are in place by early childhood. Interventions to limit
social and psychological problems associated with aggression and
violence increasingly are targeting children at a younger age. The CAP
Project targets Pre-Primary and Year 1 children and will support reduced
aggression and increased pro-social behaviours amongst early-school-
age children, and may have a long term potential to limit later bullying
and victimisation problems in Western Australia. The intervention
is currently being tested through a randomised control trial in 24
government schools in the Metropolitan Perth region.
Cyber Bullying Intervention
Invention programs to combat the rapidly growing trend of
cyber-bullying in school aged children
With the growth of virtual technology there are some alarming trends
emerging regarding the extent to which young people are using e-mail,
mobile phone text messaging, mobile phone calls, mobile phone cameras,
chat rooms, and websites to bully their peers which results in broad
social, emotional and mental health implications particularly among young
teenagers. The Child Health Promotion Research Centre was awarded
$200,000 from Healthway; $400,000 by the WA Government and another
$300,000 recently from the Telstra Foundation to conduct the world’s first
study into how to schools, families and students themselves can combat
the effects of cyber bullying. This research initiative is called Cyber
Friendly Communities Program. Material is currently under development
for this Program including parent/teacher CDs and websites as well as
primary and secondary websites and materials. This material will be
trialled in primary and secondary schools throughout Australia and South
East Asia over the next two years with an aim to refining the materials for
a final comprehensive cyber bullying intervention program.
Solid Kids, Solid Schools
Reducing the effects of bullying among Aboriginal school children
living in rural areas
While previous bullying interventions have been successfully implemented
in urban areas and for non-aboriginal children, it is unknown how Aboriginal
children and adults conceptualise childhood bullying and what school/
community intervention programs are appropriate. The aim of this study is
to formatively develop and evaluate a primary school and community-based
bullying prevention and reduction program that is culturally secure for rural
schools with higher proportions of Aboriginal students. Material for the
Solid Kids, Solid Schools program is currently under development and will be
trialled during 2009.
Take a Walk in My Shoes
Early childhood pedestrian injury prevention movie
Pedestrian injury is the leading cause of death among 5-9 year old children
in Australia. Educating adults on the most effective ways to teach children
road safety is an ongoing concern for health and education organisations
throughout Australia.
“Take a Walk in my Shoes” is a DVD and booklet providing information for
adults (parents, guardians and teachers) about the limitations of children in
the road environment that make it unsafe for children under 10 years of age
to cross the road without adult help. It explains the five key steps parents
can talk about and practise with their child to help them learn about crossing
roads safely. Numerous schools and health related organisations have
expressed interest in the DVD and booklet which is now distributed through
the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER).

Security, Law and Justice
Security, Law
and Justice
Security research at ECU includes information
security, computer and network security, biometrics
and ballistics imaging, critical infrastructure, aviation
and border control security, counter-terrorism and
intelligence, and risk management.
Particular strengths include digital forensics, forensic
analysis of network and mobile device data, and
information operations and terrorism.
Law and criminology research includes the administration
of justice, investigative interviewing, minority interests
and human rights, family legal issues, ethics and legal
reform. Other research includes scientific evidence and
advocacy, forensic psychology, and employment and
property law.
18

DI-Trakka
A low-cost active RFID system for monitoring animal interactions,
tracking and managing cattle herds
Semi-Finalist in the 2008 WA Inventor of the Year
Development Category
Herd tracking and management is a growing market, with the tagging
of all cattle now mandatory in Australia. This requirement likely to
be implemented of other four-legged animals herds in the near future.
Livestock management is one of highest growth sectors in the active RFID
market, which is predicted to grow to US$7 billion by 2017, equivalent to
26% of the total RFID market. It is estimated that active RFID data can
achieve cost savings of up to 70% in comparison to passive tags, reducing
losses related to lost animals and delayed medical treatment.
While current tagging of cattle in Australia is currently conducted through
passive RFID tags, there is a substantial market opportunity for this active
RFID invention as it provides a number of benefits over existing technologies
including:
Internally powered tags – No need to get close to an animal to read tag,1.
no risk of injury to the operator;
Behaviour monitoring – The active tag can monitor health status and2.
detect sickness or injury; and
Telemetry – active tags can track individual animals remotely,3.
identifying lost animals and tracking breeding behaviours.
This invention was developed by the School of Computer and Information
Science. A provisional patent has been filed, a working prototype developed
and product testing is currently being undertaken to prepare the product for
commercial launch or licensing to existing RFID tag providers.
SiMPLE
Preview, extraction and output of images contained on a suspect
computer’s storage devices in a forensically sound manner without
the need for specialist expertise
A major issue facing law enforcement agencies is the possession and
distribution of offensive or illegal images via the internet. This problem is
magnified in remote locations or where the availability of specialist skills or
equipment is scarce.
SiMPLE is an initial response tool that can find, view and export any relevant
files stored on a computer, establishing if further expert investigation is
warranted. The advantage of SiMPLE’s operation is that it requires minimal
expertise to gain onsite access to the electronic evidence, compared to
existing tools that require specialist knowledge or training to operate.
Complete forensic soundness is maintained which allows the images to be
used by law enforcement during interrogation or at committal hearings.
The project has been coordinated by the Security Research Centre at ECU
that has worked closely with WA police to develop the system. SiMPLE
is targeted towards the law enforcement market however it also has
applications in large corporations who enforce strict policies relating to use
of the internet.
Laptop Inspection and Recovery System
(LIARS)
An easy to use, bootable CD capable of verifying or refuting
ownership of a suspect laptop
Laptop theft is of major concern for both individuals and businesses and the
security of their personal or business sensitive information. It is estimated
that over 50,000 laptops are stolen each year, and whilst a large number of
these are recovered by police each year, the majority are never returned to
their legitimate owners due to a lack of identifying information.
LIARS will allow an individual with limited knowledge of computers or forensic
methods to identify the registered owner of a laptop whilst maintaining its
forensic integrity. Initially this will occur on a superficial level meaning if
the drive has been formatted no identifying information is likely to be found,
however subsequent development by the Security Research Centre at ECU will
allow retrieval of information from a formatted drive.
Disaster Victim ID System
An RFID tag used to record information and identify victims of
disasters, removing the need for paper-based recording and
preventing data loss due to environmental degradation.
In disaster situations, forensic pathologists traditionally examine each body or
body part and record findings on paper. This results in the loss of significant
amounts of data through environmental degradation and is highly inefficient.
Barcode systems are likewise insufficient as they are again vulnerable to the
elements and cannot store information. Information access is limited to those
with access to the physical tag or paper based information.
The Disater Victim ID System (DVIS) was developed in response to these
limitations, and provides a solution that is resistant to environmental
degradation, can store several megabytes of data (scene photos, x-ray
images, test results, etc) and does not require line of sight to be read.
This allows authenticated people access to the information without
being present at the data site, through phone or wireless networks. Both
pathologists and forensic staff will benefit from improved access to data
and the ability to add and modify the notes stored on the tag wirelessly.
Emergency services worldwide would benefit from improved data access
and integrity.
This system was developed by the School of Computer Information
Science at ECU. A prototype is currently in development
19
Security, Law and Justice

20
Education
Education
Education research and development at ECU is conducted
in collaboration with state and national education bodies
to improve policy, curriculum, teaching effectiveness and
student learning outcomes.
Particular strengths include improving the teaching of
literacy, numeracy and science, behaviour management
and the use of learning technologies to maximise
learning outcomes. Other strengths include research
on school resourcing, school effectiveness and the
improvement of student retention and participation,
especially for Indigenous students.
ECU education researchers are recognised nationally,
particularly for their expertise in research and program
development in literacy and science teaching.

21
Education
CompareIT Marking
A database and electronic marking tool used to assess students’
work in a range of media quickly and efficiently
Marking of assessments is a complex task, particularly when the skills
being assessed are not easily tested using quantitative assessments
(e.g. multi-choice tests). This has lead education providers to use the
comparative-pairs method of marking for assessing works such as
videos, websites and graphics. This method compares two students
work and records the markers judgments. These comparisons are then
statistically analysed to arrive at a final grade. This method is seen to
be the ‘gold standard’ in assessing such works and has been adopted by
many examining bodies worldwide, including the WA Curriculum Council.
The primary barrier to assessing students using non-standard forms
of assessment has been the time required to mark the work, resulting
in high costs in comparison to traditional techniques. This lead to the
development of the CompareIT system, a program that digitally presents
pairs of work that can be in a variety of formats (PDF, website, video,
graphic), records the examiner’s judgments and statistically analyses the
results. This process dramatically increases the speed at which such
assessment can be conducted, increasing the viability of this assessment
technique. With “high-stakes” assessments such as Curriculum Council
exams now being conducted using comparative pairs, there is a strong
market need for improved efficiency of this form of assessment.
This invention was developed by The Centre for Schooling and Learning
Technologies (CSaLT). A working prototype has been developed and was
successfully piloted in 2007.

Information contained in this brochure was correct at the time of printing and may be subject to change. 8244 Matrix 0000 07/08
MORE INFORMATION
Edith Cowan University
Building 1B West Wing
270 Joondalup Drive
Joondalup WA 6027
Telephone (61 8) 6304 5404
Facsimile (61 8) 6304 5044
Email: research@ecu.edu.au
Web: www.research.ecu.edu.au/ori
CRICOS IPC 00279B

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