Monash supporting India’s COVID-19 battle

A tiny and intricate biomedical structure created with the new NEST3D technique. Credit: RMIT University

“Our new method is so precise we’re creating specialised bone and cartilage-growing microstructures in a single bioscaffold,” O’Connell said. “It’s the surgical ideal – one integrated scaffold that can support both types of cells, to better replicate the way the body works.” Tests with human cells have shown bioscaffolds built using the new method are safe and non-toxic. The next steps for the researchers will be testing designs to optimise cell regeneration and investigating the impact on cell regrowth of different combinations of biocompatible materials. www.rmit.edu.au

An ear-shaped bioscaffold made with the indirect 3D printing method. Credit: RMIT University

Monash DIY oxygen conversion unit supports India’s COVID-19 battle

With COVID-19 having a devastating impact in much of India, a group of international researchers led by Monash University have developed an oxygen conversion unit that can be built from local materials, enabling doctors to provide life-saving oxygen treatment.

Due to the high numbers of COVID-19 cases in India, the supply of oxygen tanks has not kept up with demand. Oxygen conversion units strip nitrogen from the atmosphere, leaving the oxygen gas behind. India has the capacity to produce liquid oxygen, but providing it for medical use has been difficult to sustain as it needs to be transported on refrigerated tracks, which are in short supply. Professor Paul Webley, from Monash University’s Department of Chemical Engineering, recognised the need for an urgent, low-cost solution and designed an oxygen conversion unit that can be built from materials found at local Indian hardware stores. Any technician with the design specifications would be able to build the unit from scratch, load it onto a truck and take it to village hospitals to help COVID-19 patients. The unit is easy to repair, tough, relatively cheap to make and can run on a diesel generator. “The conversion unit which we’ve developed has the capacity to produce oxygen on the spot, wherever it is required,” says Webley. “When I saw the catastrophe unfolding in India, I just knew that I needed to do something.” Dr Tejas Bhatalia, a research fellow at Curtin University, and Professor Abishek Sharma, a chemical engineering professor from Manipal University in Jaipur, joined forces with Webley to develop the unit. After three months of virtual collaboration, Bhatalia built a small test unit in Perth, and Sharma assembled a larger production version at Manipul University, where testing is now underway. Webley’s original design was slightly adapted to suit materials readily available in Jaipur. “We’re currently in the process of ensuring the oxygen purity is sufficient,” says Sharma. “We’re currently getting about 70% purity, and our aim is to get this up to 90%. The team and I are working on changes to make this happen and are confident we’ll be able to do so soon.” The researchers have been in contact with local hospitals to secure a test site for the unit to see whether it will meet the hospital’s specifications and standards. If tests prove successful, the researchers will develop more units. Portable oxygen conversion units already exist for patients with chronic respiratory problems, and can be set up in the home. This

Manipal University’s Professor Abishek Sharma with the oxygen conversion unit.

particular DIY conversion unit is different because it is designed to supply oxygen to 10, 20 or 30 patients at a time and has been developed specifically so locals can build the unit from readily available materials. “My main goal was to help Indian engineers do this themselves,” Webley adds. “Can I teach them how to do this so they can duplicate them and make thousands and become completely self- sufficient?” The only specialist ingredient in the unit is the molecular sieve, a form of silicon, which filters out the nitrogen. However, it is inexpensive and relatively easy to obtain. The oxygen unit produces a similar amount of oxygen to that which would be obtained from an oxygen bottle. The researchers have also approached engineers in Brazil, where oxygen is also desperately needed. The unit could also be adapted for other countries. The researchers are looking for collaborators to help promote the design, development and deployment of the technology to India and other countries affected by the pandemic.

www.monash.edu