New bionic ear centre uses clever plastics

Melbourne is to be home to the world's first centre for medical bionics and hearing science, the brainchild of bionic-ear inventor Prof Graeme Clark.

The Prime Minister, Mr Howard, this week announced that the Federal Government would provide $5.2 million in seed funding for the new institute, while the Victorian Government announced $6.2 million in funding for its Bionics Victoria initiative, which will operate out of the new centre.

Clark initiated the funding drive for the new centre by donating his AUD$300,000 Prime Minister's Science Prize - he is seeking a total of $40 million to complete his vision.

He has also foreshadowed the development of a new bionic ear that will apply new technologies, including "smart plastics" to give deaf children near-normal hearing.

Researchers at the Bionic Ear Institute in East Melbourne showed last year that natural nerve growth factors prevent damaged nerve cells degenerating, and induce regrowth.

University of Wollongong polymer researchers have recently developed a "smart" coating of electrically conductive polypyrrole plastic that, when activated by a small electrical current, cases the plastic to release controlled amounts of nerve growth factor to protect and regenerate nerves in the inner ear.

Prof Gordon Wallace, of the university's Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, said "We may even be able to control the direction of regrowth - train the nerves, so to speak."

Dr Adrian Cameron, one of the first scientists recruited to the new institute, said the same technology has potential for spinal cord repair. His team is investigating the use of polypyrrole to establish a scaffold between severed sections of the spine, that will secrete nerve growth factors to stimulate nerves to regenerate and bridge the gap.

Cameron said the major challenge would be to guide the regenerating nerves to reconnect with the right motor neurons on the other side of the injury.