1. COCHLEAR IMPACT (BIONIC EAR): Professor Graeme Clark invented the first bionic ear at Melbourne University in the 1970s, and the first prototype was implanted in a human in 1978. Cochlear implants are devices planted into the head to electronically stimulate the auditory nerve. Graeme’s motivation to advance hearing loss technology was borne from his own father’s impaired hearing.
2. SPRAY-ON SKIN: In 1999, Perth-based surgeon, professor Fiona Wood patented her spray-on skin technique, which involves taking a small patch of a patient’s healthy skin and using it to grow new skin cells in a lab. The new skin cells are then sprayed onto the damaged skin. This process significantly reduces recovery time and scarring. Fiona and her spray-on skin technique played a crucial role in treating burns victims from the 2002 Bali bombings, saving the lives of 28 people.
3. ELECTRONIC PACEMAKER: Australian doctor Mark Lidwill and physicist Edgar Booth developed the first artificial pacemaker in the 1920s. Today, more than 3M people worldwide rely on pacemakers to keep their hearts beating properly. Artificial pacemakers send small electric charges to the heart to help it maintain a regular rhythm.
4. MEDICAL USE OF PENICILLIN: In 1939, Australian scientist Howard Florey purified penicillin from a special strain of mould. The team demonstrated penicillin’s ability to fight bacterial infection in mice, and later, in humans. The antibiotic was mass produced and used to aid victims of the Second World War. Penicillin has been used globally to combat infection by common bacteria. Today, it is still widely used in combating infections, but its efficacy is at risk from the growing resistance to the antibiotic.
