Bionics Institute
Olga Panagiotopoulou is an accomplished academic and professional with extensive expertise in anatomy and biomechanics. Currently serving as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Bionics Institute and a Patent Attorney Trainee at Davies Collison Cave, Olga previously held the position of Senior Lecturer in Anatomy and Head of the Biomechanics Lab at Monash University. Olga's experience also includes a role as Lecturer in Anatomy at The University of Queensland, and significant research positions as a Marie Curie Research Fellow and BBSRC Postdoctoral Researcher at the Royal Veterinary College, U. of London. Olga began the academic journey at the University of York, where a PhD in biomechanics was obtained, following a Master's degree from the University of Bradford and a Bachelor's degree from the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Bionics Institute
The Bionics Institute is an internationally recognised, independent medical research institute that solves medical challenges with technology. We lead the world in the research and development of innovative medical devices and therapies to improve human health. Our multidisciplinary team is comprised of world-class scientists, engineers and researchers, and our laboratories are located in St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, close to our clinical collaborators. Together we transform the lives of people with a range of conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, hearing impairment, vision loss, Crohnʼs disease, Parkinsonʼs disease, stroke, arthritis, incontinence and diabetes. The Bionics Institute has an impressive track record of translating medical device concepts into clinical reality dating back to 1986 when it was founded by Professor Graeme Clark, leader of the team that created Australiaʼs cochlear implant. Since then, Bionics Institute researchers have developed: • Australiaʼs first-generation bionic eye prototype implanted in clinical trials in 2018. - The epilepsy seizure monitoring device Minder™, commercialised through Epi-Minder Pty Ltd. - An adaptive deep brain stimulation system for Parkinsonʼs disease, commercialised through Deep Brain Stimulation Technologies Pty Ltd. - An innovative vagus nerve stimulation device to treat inflammatory bowel disease, which is moving into clinical trials and also being adapted to treat rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. - Novel drug delivery methods for hearing loss; new diagnostic tools for improved diagnosis of infant hearing. Growth into new areas will build on our expertise in medical device development and a recent expansion of our world-class facilities to include the end-to-end medical device prototype manufacturing facility, Neo-Bionica.