Laena D’Alton
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AEA grant to translate Group B Streptococcus diagnostics
Congratulations to MOBIUS lead researchers Distinguished Professor Vipul Bansal and Professor Rajesh Ramanathan (RMIT University), Mark Muzzin (NEXSEN) and colleagues for being awarded Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite funding to expand NEXSEN’s Group B Streptococcus (GBS) diagnostics from maternal to neonatal use. GBS is a leading cause of neonatal sepsis, which can be deadly. However, point-of-care diagnostics could provide clinicians with rapid, on-the-spot…
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MRFF grant success to advance Long COVID care
Congratulations to MOBIUS researchers Distinguished Professor Brian Abbey, Professor Conor Hogan, and Dr Saimon Moraes Silva (La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science), who are investigators in Professor Stephanie Gras’ (La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science) successful Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant. The team have secured $1M in funding for ‘CRISP: Consumer-led Research Initiative on…
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Madhu Bhaskaran appointed as Distinguished Professor
Congratulations to Professor Madhu Bhaskaran on her appointment as a Distinguished Professor at RMIT University (RMIT STEM College). Distinguished Professor Madhu Bhaskaran, MOBIUS Theme Leader, is a multi-award-winning electronics engineer and innovator and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering. Through her patented work on electronic skin and wearable sensors, Madhu is transforming…
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MOBIUS Webinar – Disease detection is spitting distance away
We were delighted to kick off MOBIUS’ webinar series for 2026 with ‘Disease detection is spitting distance away‘, presented by Professor Chamindie Punyadeera on Tuesday 10 February 2026, 2-3pm AEDT/1-2pm AEST. Abstract The COVID‑19 pandemic changed the world’s understanding of health testing. Millions of people learned that a quick, painless saliva sample could reliably detect…
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Steve Petrovski named Head of Department at La Trobe University
Congratulations to MOBIUS lead researcher, Professor Steve Petrovski (La Trobe University), who has been appointment Head of La Trobe’s Department of Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology. Professor Steve Petrovski is a microbial geneticist who specialises in mobile genetic elements and bacteriophages, and contributes this expertise to inform biosensor applications. Well done, Steve!
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Vipul Bansal appointed as Distinguished Professor
Congratulations to Professor Vipul Bansal, FRSC on his appointment as a Distinguished Professor at RMIT University (RMIT STEM College). Vipul, a Chief Investigator in MOBIUS, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC); the Founding Director of the Sir Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility; and Deputy Head of Research at the Department of Applied…
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Portable biosensor could detect PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ on site
A team led by MOBIUS researcher, Dr Saimon Moraes Silva (La Trobe University), has developed a portable biosensor that may allow rapid, on-site detection of toxic “forever chemicals” in water, removing the need for samples to be sent to specialist laboratories. The device is designed to detect per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of…
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Noushin Nasiri receives two Research Excellence Awards
Congratulations to MOBIUS lead researcher, Professor Noushin Nasiri (Macquarie University Faculty of Science and Engineering), who has received two awards at Macquarie University’s Research Excellence Awards: -Excellence in Graduate Research Supervision – Supervisor of the Year Award -Excellence in Research – Innovative Technologies Award, co-awarded Outstanding!
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Dr Azadeh Nilghaz and Ben McKenzie to lead MOBIUS’ EMCR Committee
On 8 December 2025, we were delighted to hold our final MOBIUS Early/Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Committee meeting for the year – including the exciting announcement of the Co-Chairs of the Committee for 2026: -Dr Azadeh Nilghaz from our Monash University node, as the Postdoctoral Researcher Co-Chair -Ben McKenzie from our La Trobe University node, as the PhD Candidate Co-Chair Azadeh and…
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MOBIUS proud to host a delegation from Fraunhofer IKTS
What a fantastic two days at MOBIUS! It was an absolute pleasure to welcome and host Jörg Opitz, Natalia Beshchasna, and Dmitry Belyaev from Fraunhofer IKTS, Germany in November 2025. Across La Trobe University, RMIT University and the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, we shared a fully packed agenda – from laboratory tours showcasing our latest biosensor innovations, to deep technical conversations about where the…