Health innovators recognised at design awards

Australian medtech company AdvanCell Isotopes’ alpha isotope bench-sized generator, designed in collaboration with Design + Industry, has won the Australian Good Design Award of the Year for 2022.

The AdvanCell Isotopes ²¹²Pb Generator enables scaled production and time-sensitive delivery of isotopes. The design is said to be a game changer for cancer patients globally. It produces clinical doses of high-value Alpha 212 (Lead-212) for use in targeted radionuclides therapy for prostate and several other cancer treatments. Due to Lead-212’s short half-life (approx 10.6 hours), transporting, storing and administering the isotope is time-sensitive. The Isotope Generator will save countless hours and lives by eliminating the challenges associated with long-haul transportation and storage. Currently, cancer treatment isotopes are produced in Nuclear Reactors such as Australia’s OPAL.

Dr Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia and Chair of the Awards, said, “Great design is all about solving meaningful problems that will have a profound impact on our lives and that’s exactly what this product does.

“The attention to detail in the design of the device is exemplary, the use of materials and thoughtfulness about the experience of the user are a real highlight as is the use of recycled materials to create the actual isotopes. Two other astounding features include the fact that this product replaces a machine the size of a small bedroom and it negates the requirement to source radioactive elements from Russia, thus securing supply of this precious resource,” Gien continued.

Also commended was Dr Leah Heiss, who won the 2022 Women in Design Award for her collaborative work. In her role as the Eva and Marc Besen International Research Chair at Monash University, Dr Heiss has brought human-centred design to technologies for hearing loss, diabetes and pre-diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gut disease and loneliness.

Dr Gien said, “Dr Heiss is a true visionary whose work has gone on to positively impact the lives of so many people, including many who are faced with challenging health circumstances. It’s an honour to have her as a leader in the design community and to recognise her with this very special accolade.”

A further medical innovation, the Neural Tourniquet, has been awarded the Next Gen (Student) Award: Best in Class. The device is a non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation device designed to stop traumatic bleeding in under a minute by utilising TENS technology, designed by Kathy Ky.

The Neural Tourniquet is intended for first responders in emergency situations where rapid bleeding control is required to save lives in the critical minutes following a traumatic injury. The concept is supported by 20 years of scientific research and has been successfully proven in pre-clinical trials by the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

The Australian Good Design Awards celebrate the excellence in design and architecture across 11 main design disciplines spanning more than 30 categories. The 2022 awards jury involved more than 70 design experts from Australia and around the world who evaluated more than 900 submissions.

Image: Supplied