The Li Group - Trauma and Orthopaedic Research Unit

Trauma and Orthopaedic Research Unit (TORU) is a collaborative laboratory facility founded by Professor Paul N Smith AM with laboratories at Canberra Hospital and at the John Curtin School of Medical Research at the ANU. With this facility, TORU possesses a significant capability to conduct research across a diverse range of fields.

Associate Professor Rachel Li is the Laboratory Research Lead of TORU.

TORU Laboratory Key Research Areas  

1. Osteoimmunology and miRNA Sequencing for Prognosis and Prevention of Complications in Post Total Joint Replacement 

TORU Lab has designed and led a project in collaboration with orthopaedic surgeons on sampling, banking and miRNA/mRNA sequencing of the patients’ blood and bone tissue. The project has identified exosomal miRNAs as regulators of mRNAs in osteolysis of the patients undergoing revision total joint replacement (TJR). In collaboration with orthopaedic surgeons in ACT region, we have made great contribution to this project during the past years. Particularly Dr Yi Deng had his PhD awarded in 2025. This project will provide better understanding of mRNA related to aberrantly expressed miRNAs, which would be drug targets. (see Figure 5 below from our 2024 paper)

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2. Preclinical Trial Using Sheep Model - 3B Materials for Future Orthopaedic Implants

Dr Alexander Bobinskas is a consultant surgeon in Oral and Maxillofacial Unit at Canberra Hospital. In addition to running his clinical practice, Alex is currently doing his PhD (Part-time) in TORU Lab with A/Prof Rachel Li and Prof Paul Smith. Alex has started the experiment of testing 3B (biocompatible, bioactive and biodegradable) materials on sheep model. This is in collaboration with Charles Sturt University and RMIT University. This pilot study tests the biocompatibility of the novel alloy Gallium-Strontium Phosphate Coated Magnesium (See Figure 2) and assesses local tissue reaction and fracture healing at the test site as well as systemic absorption of metabolites on large model. ANU School of Medicine and Psychology (SMP) students, Jack XingJian Gong and Guang Rui Kelvin Xu are also working on the sub-project in this program. We aim to undertake an expanded study on sheep, more closely analogous to human surgical applications during 2024-2025 before submission an application on human clinical trial to TGA (Therapeutic and Drug Administration, Australia) and to FDA (Food and Drug administration, USA).  

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3. Customized Coating Functionalized Coating Materials to Prevent Bacterial Infections

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is one of the most serious challenges to global public health, as drug resistance has been found for all classes of antibiotics used in clinical practice. Infection is a leading cause of revision surgery and is associated with significant patient morbidity. The relative mortality in patients undergoing revision surgery for infected hip arthroplasty is twice that of patients undergoing revision for other causes. Since the implant surface plays a crucial role in early bacteria adhesion, we, with our collaborators at Monash and RMIT University, have developed a novel surface modification strategy. Dr Tom Cheng (MD. PhD), a surgeon and researcher at TORU Lab has been leading a new biomaterial, the silver nanoparticles coated magnesium alloy. The results of this project have established a standard testing protocol to evaluate the susceptibility of orthopaedic implant materials to biofilm and to utilize this methodology to analyse the effectiveness of strategies to prevent biofilm formation (See Figure 3 below). 

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4. Biomarkers for Arthrofibrosis after Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA)

This project is undertaken by Dr Jack Xiangjiang Gong, Yixuan Li, Dr Donghai Zhang and Dr Tahlia Stewart of TORU Clinical Research Team. TKA is a common surgical treatment for severe knee osteoarthritis, for which arthrofibrosis is a common complication. A lack of specific biomarkers for arthrofibrosis means early intervention is impossible. We use miRNA sequencing on samples from arthrofibrotic post-TKA patients to identify circulating miRNA as arthrofibrosis markers. Our Master Students, Yixuan Li and Sara Alzaanin, have been exploring a list of natural compounds which we collected from Amazon Revier Forrest. We have created a cream for external use, which can be a translational medicine for preventing arthrofibrosis.  (See Figure 4 below).

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5. The 3D Printed Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Regeneration

This project is in collaboration with ANU Research School of Chemistry. As population age increases and becomes more geriatric the ability of the body to regenerate as well as fix bone related defects becomes almost non-existent. To create a viable and effective scaffold a lot of parameters must be considered, including the materials used, the method of fabrication, biocompatibility, type of tissue in question and many more. With that in mind, bone implants and bone tissue regeneration research has been making giant strides and at the same time is under scrutiny to find better, less invasive and longer lasting materials to facilitate bone growth and regeneration. Our PhD student, Yunis Moukbil, has proposed to conduct the fabrication of a scaffold with specific parameters that will be ideal for osteoblast cell adhesion, growth and proliferation using a combination of materials. The pilot study has been conducted on normal control samples (Matrix provided from a commercial company) and ready to move on Yunis’ 3D scaffolds. A Medical School student, Hamish Long, is currently working with Yunis on this project.

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6. Quantum Osteoimmunology

A significant achievement of our TORU Lab in 2025 is that we created a novel field of research, Quantum Osteoimmunology. This is the first time Quantum Osteoimmunology was displayed in the world. Despite significant advances in osteoimmunology, the mechanistic underpinnings of immune–skeletal crosstalk remain insufficiently characterized, particularly at the molecular and submolecular scales. With the questions how quantum mechanical phenomena, such as coherence, tunnelling, entanglement, and wavefunction superposition, may influence osteoimmune signalling dynamics, we introduced Quantum Osteoimmunology with the aim to integrate quantum principles into osteoimmune research. It offers new explanatory models for unresolved questions in bone-immune physiology and pathology. With our collaborators of ANU School of Engineering and Computer Sciences, Griffin University and RMIT University, we are working on Quantum Dots for their bioactivities, biomarker detection, and potential applications in diagnostics for osteoimmune pathologies. Medical School students, Matthew Solazzo is currently working on this program. (see Figure 1 below from our 2025 paper)

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7. Antibacterial Efficacy of Novel Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) in vitro

Using the new technology developed in RMIT University, Professor Ivan Cole and Dr Hong Yin synthesized novel CODs with potential to make antibacterial dressing materials and be translated to clinical trial prevention of complications of post orthopaedic surgery, such as infection and inflammation. We have tested CODs samples on three bacterial strains (gram positive and gram negative) in vitro. Kelvin Guang Rui Xu, Hugh Wilson, and Dr Donghai Zhang are currently working on this project. The antibacterial effects of CQDs in vivo using small animal (rat) have been planned and will start in the second semester 2026. Biocompatibilities of novel CQDs have investigated using three human cell cultures, including fibroblasts, osteoblast and co-cultured osteoblast and osteoclast cells. (see Figure 4 below from our 2026 paper)

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8. Advances and Challenges in Nanomedicine

Nanomedicine is improving diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases, attracting significant research attention. However, many nanoparticle features remain unknown, related to translation, biocompatibility and safety. Most urgent is to develop and validate new methods for laboratory testing, which differ from traditional methods. Dr Donghai Zhang is working on in vitro nanoparticle effect-toxicity using co-cultured bacteria and human cells.

9. Novel 3B Biomaterial on Large Animal Model in vivo

Infection is a leading cause for revision surgery and is associated with patient morbidity. In conjunction with Monash and RMIT Universities, we have been developing a series of 3B materials (bioactive, biocompatible and biodegradable). This is our leading research area as bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a serious challenge to public health. Dr Tom Cheng and Mr Hugh Wilson initiated and have been working on evaluation of susceptibility of silver nanoparticle and gallium (Ga) nanoparticle coated Mg material (GaMg) coated magnesium alloy to biofilm and utilise this to analyse effectiveness of biofilm formation prevention. testing on the most common pathogens in the post-operative implant infections. Several medical school students are working on these GaMg project. This year they have been moving on large animal test. Our PhD student, Associate Professor Alexander Bobinskas collaborated with Charles Sturt University and conducted GaMg implant testing using sheep model. Dr Jack Xiangjiang Gong has been doing data analysis. To further improve the implants, Alex has designed and will start a small animal experiment using rat at TCH animal house for trouble shooting.