Towards Personalised Medicine

Traditional surgical treatment has long been based on 'off the shelf' solutions, whereby a limited range of standard sizes and shapes of devices necessitate surgically adapting the patient’s anatomy to the constraints of the implant. In contrast, personalised medicine, in which an implant or device is bespoke has the potential to revolutionise treatment. In order to realise this new surgical paradigm, tissue engineering, stem cell therapy, 3D printing and biofabrication represent some of the most exciting technologies that can be used individually or in combination to produce patient matched devices.

Partnerships

Work is carried out co-operatively with the Centre for Cell and Tissue Therapies WA (CTTWA), the only TGA approved, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) stem cell facility in Australia, co-located with CITRA at Royal Perth Hospital. CTTWA provides a unique research opportunity as a result of its accredited allogeneic stem cell capability.

CITRA personnel are embedded in orthopaedic and neurosurgical teams in developing the ethical basis of clinical trials derived from research conducted in the laboratories for both adult and paediatric populations.

Cooperative research is carried out with local and national universities including Curtin, UWA, Murdoch and University of New South Wales (UNSW).

CITRA has the potential to make the surgical paradigm shift from traditional to personalised medicine delivering the best medical care to Australians of all ages.