DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL ANALYTICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS USING NANOTECHNOLOGY AND MICROFLUIDICS
With
Dr Alain Wuethrich
NHMRC Emerging Leader Fellow
Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology,
The University of Queensland
Brisbane, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Brisbane | June 2025
Dr Alain Wuethrich is an NHMRC Emerging Leader fellow and ARC DECRA awardee at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.
Hailing from Switzerland, research focuses on the development of novel analytical and diagnostic tools that harness nanotechnology and microfluidics; two rapidly growing fields with high potential to provide diagnostic solutions needed for precision medicine.
A feature of his work has been the ability to translate discoveries at the nanoscale into highly innovative diagnostics that enable the precise study of biomolecular aberrations in cancer, infectious diseases, and human immune system.
His particular research expertise lies in:
– Liquid biopsy
– Electrohydrodynamics
– Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
– Nanotechnology
– Diagnostics
Dr Wuethrich held positions in international pharmaceutical companies and became lead inventor on a European patent.
He has actively engaged with national and international companies to translate diagnostic nanotechnologies. His network of national and international collaborators include the Princess Alexandra Hospital, UQ Diamantina Institute, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, QIMR Berghofer, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Since 2017 he has provided continuous research mentoring to the group and has supervised more than 30 postgraduate and graduate students in nanotechnological strategies to detect cancer and other diseases.
In May 2024 Dr Wuethrich won a $1.6 million NHMRC Emerging Leader 2 grant to develop digital nanotechnology capable of detecting trace immune dysregulation from a pin-prick of blood.
He says understanding immune dysregulation is crucial for addressing emerging diseases like Long Covid and for future-proofing immune-modulating mRNA vaccines.
“The technology we have in mind will be 1000 times more sensitive than conventional methods,” Dr Wuethrich said.
“Hopefully, this will lead to a better understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases like long COVID, and the development of personalised vaccines with greatly reduced side effects.”
Dr Wuethrich is one of two Investigator Grant winners currently working with Professor Matt Trau.
Source: Supplied
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Pancreatic and lung cancers driven by mutations in the cancer gene KRAS
Dr Mara Zeissig is a recently appointed Lab Head within the Tumour Inflammation and Immunotherapy Program at the South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI).
Her research focuses on studying immune evasion mechanisms in lung and pancreatic cancers to identify novel ways to increase response to immunotherapy. Her expertise is in genetically engineered mouse models of lung cancer, CRISPR-Cas9 screening technologies and T cell based immunotherapies (e.g Checkpoint inhibitors). -
Biostatistics in Clinical Trials
As a biostatistician working in research and clinical settings, Kate Francis plays a vital role in ensuring all projects adhere to best practice guidelines and are transparently reported. She has served as the lead statistician for the analysis of clinical trials across a broad range of subject areas, including neonatal resuscitation, BCG for allergy and infection, convulsive status epilepticus and her work has been published in the top journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and The Lancet. Most recently she was awarded the 2025 Excellence in Trial Statistics Award for her work on the PLUSS trial.
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Role of Community Paramedicine in Non-Emergency Presentations
Dr Robbie King is a Lecturer in paramedicine and researcher at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) Brisbane. He also continues to provide clinical care as a registered paramedic for community members served by a jurisdictional ambulance service. Dr King has gained significant experience working in an advanced practice, community paramedic style role, holding expert clinical insight into the nuances of paramedic-led community-based healthcare for non-emergency presentations. This often involves adopting a biopsychosocial approach, rather than following the biomedical model more associated with emergency medicine and paramedic culture.
