NEW EARS: The Discovery to Deployment Journey to Date

The NEW EARS team (iNtegrated nEtWorks for Ear Additive Reconstructive Science) performs research looking at the application of 3D printing in the most common congenital malformation that affects the head and neck region, specifically a condition called Microtia. The journey into 3D printing cartilage scaffolds for implantation to reconstruct the ear, saving young kids the morbidity of harvesting rib cartilage commenced in 2016, initially funded by a grant by the?Passe Williams Memorial Foundation. Later supported by institutional funding by?Royal Prince Alfred Hospital?and the?ARC Centre for Electromaterial Sciences, with critical input from the?ANFF Materials node?the team sought to develop links with India, where the disease is more common.

Funded in 2019 by the Australia India Council, the NEW EARS team embarked on a collaboration with the?Andhra Medtech Zone (AMTZ), a new medical devices commercialisation hub in Vizag, India. Our team visited the AMTZ prior to the application for funding, fully understanding the capability and scope of the extent of work that could be performed. A?University of Wollongong (UOW)?delegation including cricketing legend Adam Gilchrist visited AMTZ to sign an MOU.

The research pivoted to developing 3D printed ear silicone prosthetics, as it was an easier treatment option to deploy. The grant funding, allowed support for research and exchange between the two countries which made our team realise that there were common issues to deployment of new innovations between the two countries, cost of health-care and geographic barriers in access to care. Further, the patients who could benefit from 3D printed silicone prosthetics, extended to patients with head and neck cancer in both countries. We teamed up with Anaplastology colleagues in both countries, namely Sophie Fleming at?Chris O'Brien Lifehouse?and Srinivasan B, Enhance Head and Neck Rehabilitation, who shared with us their difficulties in making facial prosthetics by hand, having to continually repeat the process every 3-4 years to replace the prosthesis due to wear and tear and the numerous visits the patients have to make to visit them during their lifetime from very far away places which needed to be repeated every few years.?

Challenged by COVID and closed borders, this gave us no choice but to pivot our research using digital tools that overcame these geographic challenges. Indeed in 2020, our team sent 3D scans of a patient in Australia which was manufactured by Srini in India, shipped and fitted by Sophie in Australia. The patient only came to the clinic twice, once for the scanning and once for the fitting.?

Although the grant expired, our research continues. We have developed and deployed through UOW, a low cost silicon 3D printer to India as well as a customised 3D Bioprinter, hosted Indian researchers at UOW to train them in using these printers and continue to collaborate. We plan to increase this exchange of talented young researcher between the two countries supported by the?Beyond Science program, increasing their ability to globally scale their research.?

The Discovery to Deployment journey is not linear it requires the establishment of effective collaborations to ensure success. We are so thankful to our colleagues at AMTZ for their critical inputs.

We are also grateful for the IABCA team and their judges for acknowledging this work with the?2024 Australia India Science, Research and Development Award. We thank all our institutions that have funded us and supported the research (UOW, Usyd, Deakin, RPA, COBLH, AMTZ).?