Our goals
We aim to develop, validate and introduce novel imaging technology to detect the at-risk fetus, in order to target in utero therapy or intervention. We are exploring the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) as a diagnostic tool for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and have undertaken numerous pilot studies in this area. CGM has the potential to be a superior and more highly individualised test than the oral glucose tolerance test to evaluate glycaemic control.
Research strengths
Our areas of research strengths include:
- Application of the first non-invasive bedside tool for determination of vascularity / perfusion (three-dimensional fractional moving blood volume or 3D-FMBV that our team invented).
- Functional fetal cardiology evaluation using automated Doppler techniques.
- Application of infra-red camera tracking technology to evaluation of placental perfusion; plane-wave technology for visualisation of placental vascular using the Verasonics Vantage research ultrasound platform.
- Our team is multidisciplinary, and cross-Faculty.
- As a perinatal research group, we are fortunate to have both obstetric and neonatal researchers; two disciplines that work together so closely clinically but rarely collaborate directly for research.
- We are unique in the strength of our engineering collaborations and were one of the first recipients of Biomedical Engineering Seed Funding through UNSW.
- Based within the Royal Hospital for Women, we have direct access to patients allowing us to be constantly aware of why we are researching and how we might impact outcomes for mothers and babies.
- We have a dedicated imaging research space with state-of-the-art ultrasound machines, including the Verasonics Vantage 256 ultrasound system (we are the only centre in Australia to have TGA approval).
- We work closely with the clinical team of endocrinologists, obstetricians and diabetic educators in management of diabetes in pregnancy.