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Perth Biodesign 2024

Training the Next Generation of Biomedical Entrepreneurs

Meet the 2024 Teams

Team 1:  Vitryx 

Team 2:  Velora 

Team 3:  CardioSure

2024 Course Directors

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Chloe Goodred
Course Director

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Chloe is an innovative and effective healthcare leader who is passionate about improving the way we design and deliver care to improve outcomes for patients, staff and the broader community. Chloe began her career as a physiotherapist and worked across a range of clinical settings before pivoting into clinical service design and project management. Her curiosity and passions for problem solving, diverse collaborations and systems thinking led her into the innovation and entrepreneurship space, co-founding a digital health startup and acting as a boundary spanner to bring public and private sector innovators together. Most recently Chloe led the Kaartdijin Innovation Centre at South Metropolitan Health Service, including establishment in 2019 – the first innovation hub for WA public health services. She has engaged, connected and empowered clinicians, technicians, corporate staff and external partners to dream big and innovate to solve problems. Chloe also has a keen interest in Aboriginal health, wellbeing and justice including volunteer work for Enterprise Partnerships WA, a not-for-profit partnering with remote First Nations communities to facilitate entrepreneurship and activate community-led enterprises that foster health and well-being. In particular, Chloe is working with Oliver Bazzani to deliver the Perth Biodesign course and with Sandra Medic to deliver the Biodesign content for iPREP Biodesign.

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Oliver Bazzani
Course Director

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Oliver is a founder, investor, and educator, with over seven years’ experience working across technology, investment, strategy, and growth. He has worn multiple hats, including Director, Growth Lead, Facilitator, Mentor, and Product Manager. As a result, he has been lucky to learn from and collaborate with hundreds of innovators, founders, corporate leaders, and investors from across Australia, Canada, and the US. Driven by his passion for tackling big problems, Oliver has worked throughout the innovation ecosystem, including developing programs for the first Indigenous Angel investors, early-stage Founders, and Health System Innovators; to building a co-working and performance space for Regional Creatives. His interest in healthcare was sparked during his participation in Perth Biodesign for Digital Health 2020, where he and his team sought to solve the problem of finding the psychologist that's right for you. Their solution, Charli, was recognised as the winner of the 2020 Perth Biodesign program and 2020 Freo Startup Fest. Currently, in addition to being Program Delivery Lead for the Perth Biodesign Course, Oliver is Program Designer, Facilitator and Mentor for the Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program. He also invests and connects Founders to their first cheques with the Perth Angels Investor Group, Startmate and AirTree. He also empowers artists across Western Australia as Chairperson of Regional Arts WA.

2024 Cohort

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Adeesh
Autar

Cyclotron Engineer
Biomedical, Instrumentation and Control, PLC programmings, SCADA, Medical imaging, Electromagnetic, Vacuum dynamics, Radiation and protection

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Deeba
Baig

Biomedical Researcher
PhD Cell & Molecular Biology; Biochemistry, Genetics

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Tanya
Brisbane

Chartered Accountant, R&D Tax and Government Incentives
Medical Scientist, Molecular Haematology

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Jordan
Crane

MPhil Student
Medical Research

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Anna
Gee

University-Industry Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
Business Development, Commercialisation

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Ben
McFadden

Data scientist & PhD researcher
Data science, Machine Learning, Healthcare

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Dr Daire
Meegan

Medical Doctor - Registrar
General medicine, Cardiology

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Bhaumik
Mevavala

Research Coordinator, Clinical Trials Data Manager
Clinical Research, Database Management, Business Development, Pharmaceuticals

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Lakshini
Piyasiri

Biomedical Researcher
Master of Biomedical Science, Neuroscience, Brain Plasticity

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Sian
Reed

Registered Psychologist, Child & Adolescents
Founder, Marketing

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Melanie
Schwartz

Graduate Bachelor of Science/Engineering (Biomedical)
Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Materials, Robotics

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Dr Shrey
Sharma

Clinical Genetics Trainee
Adult & Cancer Genetics, Genomic Research, Cardiovascular,
Early Detection

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Ebrahim
Vahabli

Research Associate, PhD Mechanical Engineering
Medical Device Development, Cardiovascular,
Remote Surgery

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Anna
Young

Certified Practising Accountant, Program Manager Corporate Compliance
Compliance, Audit, Forensic investigations, MBA, Training & Assessment

Teams Perth Biodesign 2024

Perth Biodesign Teams

Vitryx

Vitryx

Need Statement

A way to facilitate communication from health service providers to patients and family members at risk of Familial Hypercholesterolemia in order to increase the uptake of cascade testing. 

The Problem

Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic condition that causes high levels of LDL cholesterol (‘bad cholesterol’) in blood from birth, affecting 1 in 250 Australians. Left untreated, FH significantly increases the risk of premature heart disease, strokes, and other cardiovascular issues. Alarmingly, 90% of adults and 98% of children with FH remain undiagnosed, leaving many vulnerable to serious health complications that could have been prevented. Cascade testing (identifying at-risk relatives of diagnosed individuals) is the most effective way for early detection of FH and intervention. However, despite its proven importance, uptake of cascade testing among families remains low due to a range of challenges preventing many families from benefiting from early diagnosis and intervention. How can we overcome these challenges to ensure greater support for the uptake of cascade testing among at-risk families? 

The Solution

We are developing a digital health platform to bridge the gap between healthcare providers, patients, and at-risk relatives to overcome the challenges that hinder the uptake of cascade testing for FH. By providing tools to streamline patient management, care coordination, and the sharing of educational resources, our platform enables healthcare providers to `efficiently connect with patients and their families. Beyond this, it supports patients in reaching out to their at-risk relatives, ensuring they understand the significance of early testing and intervention. This way, our streamlined platform not only enhances patient education but also simplifies access to information about cascade testing, enabling more families to benefit from early diagnosis and prevention of FH-related health issues. 

Members

Anna Young, Ben McFadden, Bhaumik Mevavala, Lakshini Piyasiri, Dr Shrey Sharma

Velora

Velora

Need Statement

A way to measure milk intake in breastfed infants to increase breastfeeding rates during the first 6 months of life. A way to measure milk intake in breastfed infants to increase breastfeeding rates during the first 6 months of life. 

The Problem

The World Health Organisation and the American Academy of Paediatrics recommend exclusively breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life. The reason for this recommendation is that breast milk is essential for infant health, providing vital nutrients and antibodies that boost immunity, support nervous system development, and reduce the risk of illnesses requiring hospital care. Breastfeeding also offers long-term health benefits for both child and mother.  

Whilst about 70% of women will start breastfeeding very shortly after birth with most intending to breastfeed as long as possible, there is a consistent decline over the 6 months, with only about 152% of Australian women still exclusively breastfeeding by six months. Concerns about insufficient milk supply is the reason 50% of women stop breastfeeding earlier than intended. To address these concerns, mothers often consult healthcare providers, such as lactation consultants or paediatricians, who rely on methods like 24-hour weighted feeds, counting wet nappies and monitoring infant weight gain. However, these methods are inconvenient and imprecise, reducing their accessibility, heightening mothers' anxiety and offering little reassurance.  

The Solution

Velora is a miniature device which can be conveniently used by mothers to monitor infant breast milk intake at home. It provides accurate measurement of intake during feeding and delivers remote tracking of feeding volumes. The data analysis reports intake patterns and quantities, providing reassurance and empowerment to continue breastfeeding or, if required, facilitating action on insufficient intake in collaboration with healthcare professionals.  

Members

Anna Gee, Deeba Baig, Ebrahim Vahabli, Jordan Crane, Sian Reed

CardioSure

CardioSure

Need Statement

A way to detect early signs of heart failure decompensation in patients in the community to prevent avoidable hospital admissions. 

The Problem

One in five people will develop heart failure in their lifetime. The health economic burden is huge, with the global direct costs of US$65 billion. Hospitalisations and inpatient care account for the vast majority of this spending however, studies have shown up to 64% of the admissions are avoidable. Early detection allows for a wide spectrum of interventions which can prevent costly and traumatic hospital admissions however, early signs of heart failure decompensation are very subtle - by the time a patient notices and seeks help, it is often too late to avoid admission and costly treatment. Additionally, current methods to detect early signs have either been proven to be ineffective or too expensive to implement at scale.  

The Solution

Our team has developed a personal handheld device which patients would use at home to monitor for the subtle signs of decompensation that develop before symptoms. The device measures a number of parameters in a patient's expired breath and by analysing this data our AI can predict patients at risk of decompensation, triggering interventions to prevent further decline and avoiding emergency presentations and inpatient admissions.  

Members

Daire Meegan, Tanya Brisbane,  Adeesh Auta & Melanie Schwartz 

Administered by

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Partners

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