About Us

We are the Biorheology Research Laboratory, a lab that examines blood physiology with particular emphasis on how the constituents of blood (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) influence blood flow through the body to maintain organ health. We study blood cell physiology through cutting edge biochemical and biophysical approaches. We also apply our knowledge to frontier engineering by evaluating the blood compatibility of current and next generation cardiovascular medical devices (such as total artificial hearts and ventricular assist devices).

Our Highlights

Recent and exciting developments include:

• RBC sublethal damage – our team has developed the world-first comprehensive mapping of erythrocyte tolerance to mechanical stress, which may explain complications associated with cardiovascular blood-contacting medical devices.
• Mechanobiology of red blood cells (RBC) and cell signalling – our team has unravelled a previously unknown signalling pathway in RBC that enables these cells to produce local nitric oxide (a molecule important for circulatory function), in response to mechanical load on the cell membrane.
• Clinical consequences of blood damage – in collaboration with the Gold Coast University Hospital, our team has collected data from individuals undergoing open-heart surgery to examine changes in real-time microcirculatory blood flow.
• Haemocompatibility testing of current and pre-clinical cardiovascular medical devices – our team has guided the design of future cardiovascular medical devices by evaluating haemolytic and thrombogenic potential of cutting-edge prototypes from global leaders in the industry.
• Inspecting RBC biophysics – by combining techniques from optical physics, microfluidics, and microfabrication, our team regularly probes the structure and function of biological membranes of single cells to identify molecular changes that occur following biochemical or mechanical stimuli, or with presence of known disease.