Centre of Neural Engineering and Cell Technologies (CoNECT)
Seeking to advance and enhance human health by ‘connecting’ through neural integration with technology.
The Centre of Neural Engineering and Cell Technologies (CoNECT) addresses the key societal issues of health and wellbeing of a rapidly growing and ageing population, with known health inequities for Māori. This leads to poor outcomes in degenerative conditions, such as physical disability, vision and hearing loss, as well as neurodegenerative conditions and disease such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and brain cancer, placing an increasing burden on New Zealand health systems.
Neural engineering is in its infancy in Aotearoa. CoNECT aims to put New Zealand on the map, by being the first centre in the country that spans the full complement of neural engineering research disciplines under one roof, together with non-academic stakeholders to create a transdisciplinary centre that is internationally excellent.
Our research
CoNECT seeks to advance and enhance human health by ‘connecting’ through neural integration with technology. We work towards this by capitalising on expertise of our members in state-of-the-art areas such as bioprinting, additive manufacturing, biomaterials, nanotechnology, microfluidics, photonics, robotics and computational neuroscience in Engineering and Science; coupled with medical and health expertise in neurodegenerative diseases, genetics, pharmacology and surgery at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.
From this expertise, CoNECT will deliver the next generation of breakthrough assistive and diagnostic technologies, in neural bionics and brain machine interfaces, in vitro/in vivo neural discovery platforms, neural sensors, drug delivery and computational neuroscience.
It will assist researchers to better investigate, measure and understand the basic mechanisms that underpin cell behaviour and function in neurodegenerative disease and enhance the health of people with disability, vision and hearing loss through neural integration with technology, co-designed with Māori in order to re-establish health equity. Through neural technology, CoNECT will contribute to the advancement of knowledge, about the fundamental basic science of the brain and how this technology can be translated to deliver improved health outcomes for New Zealand.
Research themes
CoNECT has four main research themes:
- Neural Controlled Bionics & Brain Machine Interfaces
Addressing the challenge of New Zealand’s ageing population with emerging technologies, in non-invasive neural controlled, rehabilitative bionics, prosthetics, exoskeletons, health robots and brain machine interfaces for physical disability and neurodegenerative conditions.
- Neural Discovery Platforms
Contributing to the next generation of in vitro/in vivo neural discovery platforms, involving lab-on-a-chip, bioprinting, additive manufacturing, scaffolds and tissue engineering. This will enable the discovery of mechanisms that drive neurodegenerative disease, tumours, stroke and vision and hearing loss associated with an ageing population.
- Neural Sensing & Drug Delivery
We have expertise in wireless and implantable devices, biophotonics and optogenetics for neural sensing as well as biodegradable, hydrogel, microbubble and needle-free injection for drug delivery systems, and contemporary biomaterials and polymer bioelectronics with clinical support in novel drugs and vaccines. This theme will develop the next generation of avant-garde neural sensing and neural drug delivery systems and address the issues of chronic pain and neurodegenerative conditions of Aotearoa’s ageing population.
- Computational Neuroscience
A fourth challenge is the modelling and prediction of brain signals that drive neurological disease in the ageing population. It will bring cognitive and clinical neuroscience in memory, attention and neurological diseases through EEG/MRI/fMRI modalities modelled by neuromorphic and cell signalling models and machine learning.
How can you work with us?
CoNECT is comprised of 50+ academics across Engineering, Science, and Medical and Health Sciences. It is unique, diverse, strong with high synergy and transdisciplinarity, built in, to create a shared value of excellence.
The centre encompasses members who are directors and co-directors of a diverse range of existing and proposed University faculty centres related to Neural Engineering with strong clinical/industrial pathways to translation and non-academic stakeholders. CoNECT draws upon the expertise of a strong internationally recognised advisory board of health experts.
If you are interested in working with us, please contact our centre’s director or one of our co-directors.
Our people
Director
Associate Professor Charles Unsworth | Faculty of Engineering
Co-directors
Professor Ian Kirk | Faculty of Science
Dr Scott Graham | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Dr Matire Harwood | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Research Impact Manager
Faith Welch
Director Strategic Growth
Analeise Murahidy
Technical Services Manager
Clare McLaren
Advisory Board of Health Experts
Professor Sir Richard Faull | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Professor John Windsor | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Professor Larry Chamley | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Professor Andrew Shelling | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Professor Anthony Phillips | Faculty of Science
Dr Patrick Schweder | Non-academic stakeholder
Dr Andrew Law | Non-academic stakeholder
Research Theme Members
1. Neural Controlled Bionics & Brain Machine Interfaces
Professor Bruce MacDonald | Faculty of Engineering
Associate Professor Andrew McDaid | Faculty of Engineering
Associate Professor Darren Svirskis | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Dr Karl Stol | Faculty of Engineering
Dr Bryan Ruddy | Faculty of Engineering, Auckland Bioengineering Institute
Professor John Windsor | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
2. Neural Discovery Platforms
Associate Professor Charles Unsworth | Faculty of Engineering
Professor Iain Anderson | Faculty of Engineering, Auckland Bioengineering Institute
Professor Olaf Diegel | Faculty of Engineering
Dr Jonathan Stringer | Faculty of Engineering
Dr Samuel Rosset | Auckland Bioengineering Institute
Dr Vickie Shim | Auckland Bioengineering Institute
Professor Andrew Shelling | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Professor Larry Chamley | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Professor Peter Thorne | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Professor Sir Richard Faull | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Dr Cherie Blenkiron | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Dr Clairton Feitosa De Souza | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Dr Scott Graham | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Dr Simon O'Carroll | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Associate Professor Geoff Willmott | Faculty of Science
Associate Professor Stephane Coen | Faculty of Science
Professor Garth Cooper | Faculty of Science
Dr Cameron Weber | Faculty of Science
Dr Hilary Sheppard | Faculty of Science
3. Neural Sensing & Drug Delivery
Professor Andrew Taberner | Faculty of Engineering, Auckland Bioengineering Institute
Associate Professor Jenny Malmström | Faculty of Engineering
Dr Laura Domigan | Faculty of Engineering
Professor Simon Malpas | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Dr Manisha Sharma | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Dr Sachin Thakur | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Dr Peter Freestone | Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Professor Dame Margaret Brimble | Faculty of Science
Professor Sir Bill Denny | Faculty of Science
Professor Anthony Phillips | Faculty of Science
Professor Cather Simpson | Faculty of Science
Professor Christian Hartinger | Faculty of Science
Professor David Barker | Faculty of Science
Professor Jadranka Travas-Sejdic | Faculty of Science
Dr Jianyong Jin | Faculty of Science
Professor Neil Broderick | Faculty of Science
Professor Rod Dunbar | Faculty of Science
4. Computational Neuroscience
Associate Professor Oliver Sinnen | Faculty of Engineering
Professor Partha Roop | Faculty of Engineering
Dr Andreas Kempa-Liehr | Faculty of Engineering
Dr Nitish Patel | Faculty of Engineering
Dr Richard Clarke | Faculty of Engineering
Dr Vinod Suresh | Faculty of Engineering, Auckland Bioengineering Institute
Professor Ian Kirk | Faculty of Science
Professor James Sneyd | Faculty of Science
Professor Karen Waldie | Faculty of Science
Professor Lynette Tippett | Faculty of Science
Our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
The centre is committed to demonstrating leadership with regards to Te Ao Māori principles of Waipapa Taumata Rau and to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
CoNECT’s Māori strategic advisor and co-director, Matire Harwood (FMHS), will develop meaningful partnership and relations through consultation with iwi to co-design purpose-built neural technology that respectfully accommodates Māori cultural beliefs and thus benefit Māori healthcare needs. This will create future impact for Māori communities creating better healthcare opportunities and an equity of healthcare for Māori.
We will apply a strong equity lens to all proposed projects utilising networks within the Māori Health Authority. Given its focus on health research, the centre will also consider the principles of Wai 2575 – equity in addition to partnership (as described above), active protection (e.g. indigenous knowledge), options (e.g. providing choices for tests/treatments) and tino rangatiratanga (e.g. supporting high-level advocacy and direction).
Taumata Teitei and Te Ao Māori Principles
The centre acknowledges its role to undertake research, education and service that has positive impacts on Māori whānau and communities as well as wider society. We also understand our role in promoting excellence in the advancement and exploration of knowledge, including matauranga Māori. Principles specific to Waipapa Taumata Rau will underpin our objectives and work, including:
- Manaakitanga – Ensuring our work enhances the mana for those in the centre and with whom we work
- Whanaungatanga – Recognising the centre’s responsibilities to undertake work that supports the collective and relationships.
- Kaitiakitanga – Valuing stewardship, guardianship and our relationship with the natural world, the centre aims to practice in ways that are safe and sustainable.