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Hala Zreiqat

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Professor
Hala Zreiqat
AM FAA FTSE FAHMS FRSN
Personal details
Born
Jordan
NationalityJordanian
Australian
OccupationBiomechanical engineer

Hala Zreiqat is a biomechanical engineer whose research focuses on the development of novel engineered synthetic materials and 3D printed platforms for regenerative medicine. She is a Payne-Scott Professor in the Department of Biomechanical Engineering at the University of Sydney.

Education and career

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Zreiqat was born in Jordan. However, she grew up in the West Bank, before returning to Jordan to study biology at the University of Jordan in Amman. She received a scholarship for her studies attached to a commission in the Jordanian Armed Forces. After graduation she worked at the King Hussein Medical Centre, where she was officially a First lieutenant.[1][2]

In 1991, Zreiqat moved to Australia to study a PhD in Medical Sciences at the University of New South Wales.[2]

From 2010 to 2012, she was President of the Australian and New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society, the first woman to be the Society's president.[3][4]

In 2016/17, Zreiqat undertook a Radcliffe Fellowship at Harvard University, the first person from NSW to do so. The focus of her fellowship was to develop educational and industry research collaborations between Australia and the United States in her research area of musculoskeletal disorders and biomaterials, and to gain skills in rapid research translation and commercialisation.[5]

Since 2018, she has been the Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineering. The centre aims to create technologies to improve treatments and outcomes for challenging medical conditions; develop a data capture framework for continuous improvement of technologies; and produce a skilled workforce to advance this work in the future.[6]

In 2019, she was made a Member of the Order of Australia for "... significant service to biomedical engineering, and to research councils"[7] and in 2020, she was nominated for, and awarded, a Payne-Scott Professorial Distinction from the University of Sydney, which recognises "sustained academic achievement and dedication to the University's values, and for playing an active role in developing strategic initiatives, and [...] outstanding contributions to the University community."[8]

In 2021, she was awarded a Fulbright Senior Scholarship to work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology alongside Professor Robert Langer. The focus of her scholarship was to learn about research translation and commercialisation to then apply this to the commercialisation of regenerative medicine research in Australia.[9]

Research

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Zreiqat's work focuses on creating new engineered synthetic materials and developing technologies to 3D print replacement body parts for people suffering from injury and disease, particularly in orthopaedic, dental and maxillofacial contexts.[10][11] She holds a number of patents for her novel materials.[12]

3D printed bone scaffold

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One strand of her research has looked at creating a scaffold that will stimulate bone regrowth at sites of injury or defect. The scaffold is made of a novel ceramic containing trace elements and nanoparticles needed for bone growth. The ceramic is porous to allow blood and nutrients to infiltrate. The scaffold can be 3D printed to match the defect site and will degrade in the body as it is replaced by bone. This technology could be used to replace metal implants which have a finite lifespan, thus reducing the need for repeat surgeries and the associated time, costs and risk of complications.[13][14]

In 2019, she was awarded the ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology for this research[15] as well as a place on the list of Australia's most Innovative Engineers (2020).[16]

'Instruction manual' for cells

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Through research in collaboration with the Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI) at Westmead, Zreiqat and her team have used 3D photolithographic printing to guide stem cells to form organised structures. Using bioengineering and cell culture techniques, the team created stem cells from blood and skin cells. They then used chemical and mechanical signals to replicate the natural developmental process to support the cells to create organised tissues. This technology has potential future implications in developing organs for transplant and treating vision loss as a result of macular degeneration.[17][18]

Synthetic material to heal tendons and ligaments

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Zreiqat's team has also developed a synthetic substance that could mimic or replace tendon and ligament tissue, potentially speeding up recovery from injury. In a collaboration with Columbia University and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, researchers have developed fibre-reinforced hydrogel scaffolds which have the same stress resistance and water volume as real tissue which should support collagen growth.[19][20][21]

Equity and inclusion

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In addition to her research work, Zreiqat has founded projects to improve access to opportunities for women and young scientists. In recognition of her contributions to regenerative medicine and orthopaedic research in NSW and commitment to improving opportunities for women around the world, Zreiqat was named the 2018 NSW Premier's Woman of the Year.[22][23]

BIOTech Futures

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BIOTech Futures aims to inspire students' passion for technology and innovation. Early-career researchers and undergraduate students work with high school teachers and students to tackle biotechnology challenges.[24]

IDEAL Society

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IDEAL (Inclusion Diversity Equity Action Leadership) Society, an international, intergenerational, interdisciplinary network, supported by the University of Sydney and Harvard University, which aims to "transform society so that both women and men can pursue their dreams, fulfill their potential, exercise leadership, and be respected for their achievements."[25]

Diplomacy

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Zreiqat is a board member and chair (2020-2027) of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR), which aims to "broaden and strengthen Australian-Arab relations by advancing areas of shared political, economic, and social interest and building a greater appreciation of each other's cultures and values."[26]

Awards

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  • Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (2021)[27]
  • Payne-Scott Professorial Distinction (2020)[8]
  • Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering (2020)[28]
  • Member of the Order of Australia (2019)[7]
  • Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (2019)[29]
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW (2019)[30]
  • NSW Premier's Award for Woman of the Year (2018)[3]
  • The King Abdullah II Order of Distinction of the Second Class - the highest civilian honor bestowed by the King of Jordan (2018)[31]

References

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  1. ^ "Meet the scientist printing bones". Australian Financial Review. 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  2. ^ a b "Jordanian Hala Zreiqat awarded NSW Award for Woman of the Year in Australia". Roya News. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  3. ^ a b NSW, Women (2021-12-02). "Professor Hala Zreiqat | NSW Government". www.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  4. ^ "Sydney researcher Harvard bound". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  5. ^ "Hala Zreiqat". Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  6. ^ "ARC Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineering". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  7. ^ a b honours.pmc.gov.au https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/2004793. Retrieved 2024-07-31. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ a b "Payne-Scott distinctions for academic excellence announced". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  9. ^ "2021 Alumni". Fulbright. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  10. ^ "Hala Zreiqat". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  11. ^ "Society Fellows elected as 2020 Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering". The Royal Society of NSW. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  12. ^ "Hala Zreiqat Inventions, Patents and Patent Applications - Justia Patents Search". patents.justia.com. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  13. ^ "A new 3D-printed bone scaffold for major self-repair". Nature.
  14. ^ "Meet the scientist printing bones". Australian Financial Review. 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  15. ^ "2019 Australian Museum Eureka Prize winners". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  16. ^ "Innovative Engineers 2020". create digital. 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  17. ^ "New method an important step toward future 3D printing of human tissues". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  18. ^ Newman, Peter L. H.; Yip, Queenie; Osteil, Pierre; Anderson, Tim A.; Sun, Jane Q. J.; Kempe, Daryan; Biro, Maté; Shin, Jae-Won; Tam, Patrick P. L.; Zreiqat, Hala (2023). "Programming of Multicellular Patterning with Mechano-Chemically Microstructured Cell Niches". Advanced Science. 10 (15): e2204741. doi:10.1002/advs.202204741. ISSN 2198-3844. PMC 10214222. PMID 36998105.
  19. ^ "Synthetic material created to heal injured tendons and ligaments". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  20. ^ No, Young Jung; Castilho, Miguel; Ramaswamy, Yogambha; Zreiqat, Hala (May 2020). "Role of Biomaterials and Controlled Architecture on Tendon/Ligament Repair and Regeneration". Advanced Materials. 32 (18): e1904511. Bibcode:2020AdM....3204511N. doi:10.1002/adma.201904511. ISSN 1521-4095. PMID 31814177.
  21. ^ No, Young Jung; Tarafder, Solaiman; Reischl, Barbara; Ramaswamy, Yogambha; Dunstan, Colin; Friedrich, Oliver; Lee, Chang Hun; Zreiqat, Hala (2020-04-13). "High-Strength Fiber-Reinforced Composite Hydrogel Scaffolds as Biosynthetic Tendon Graft Material". ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering. 6 (4): 1887–1898. doi:10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01716. ISSN 2373-9878. PMID 33455306.
  22. ^ "Tissue engineer trailblazer honoured as NSW Woman of the Year". ABC News. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  23. ^ "Tissue engineer trailblazer honoured as NSW Woman of the Year". ABC News. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  24. ^ "BIOTech Futures". BIOTech Futures. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  25. ^ "Inclusion Diversity Equity Action Leadership". projects.iq.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  26. ^ Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) (2024). "Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR)". dfat.gov.au. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Hala Zreiqat". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  28. ^ ATSE. "https://www.atse.org.au/who-we-are/our-fellows/all-fellows/hala-zreiqat/". ATSE. Retrieved 2024-07-31. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  29. ^ Anonymous (2019-10-09). "Professor Hala Zreiqat - AAHMS". aahms.org. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  30. ^ "Fellows - The Royal Society of NSW". www.royalsoc.org.au. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  31. ^ "King of Jordan honours University of Sydney biomedical pioneer". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
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