Why has no one made it easier to find a vein? When an emergency physician posed this simple but powerful question, Dr Nikhilesh Bappoo was intrigued.
Having just finished a degree in mechanical engineering, he became aware that much of what he had learned – designing pipes, pumps and valves – mirror the workings of the human body, from blood vessels to the heart and arteries. It was this curiosity that led him to be named the 2025 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for New Innovators.
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are Australia’s most prestigious awards for scientific achievement, celebrating researchers and innovators who are shaping the nation’s future through discovery and invention. The Prize for New Innovators specifically recognises early-career scientists whose work is already delivering tangible benefits to society.
Dr Nikhilesh Bappoo received the honour for his development of novel and accessible medical technologies that are transforming two of healthcare’s most fundamental challenges – safe vein access and heart health monitoring. “For me personally, it’s a recognition of my vision of a world where no lives are lost because healthcare was too complex, too late, or out of reach,” Dr Bappoo says. “It’s also a recognition of my family and everything that’s led to this point in my journey.”
Dr Bappoo’s path to medical innovation began far from Australia’s laboratories and hospitals, on the island of Mauritius, a multicultural nation in the Indian Ocean. “I moved to Perth with the goal of finishing school but also pursuing higher education at the University of Western Australia,” he recalls. At university, his love for maths and physics led him to study mechanical engineering, but it was his desire to make a meaningful impact in healthcare that steered him toward medical technology.
“I realised that a lot of what we learned in mechanical engineering – designing pipes, pumps and valves – could actually be applied to the human body, with blood vessels, the heart, valves and arteries,” he explains. This realisation sparked his research career. He went on to complete a PhD in bioengineering at the University of Western Australia, where he began bridging engineering and medicine and discovered his passion for entrepreneurship.
During his PhD, Dr Bappoo joined Perth BioDesign, a program connecting engineers and clinicians to solve unmet medical needs. It was there he met Dr Catherine Aaronson, who asked the question about making it easier to find patients’ veins.
Together, they co-founded VeinTech, which developed a handheld ultrasound device that helps healthcare workers accurately locate veins for procedures like cannulation – inserting a small tube into a vein to deliver fluids or medications. “Everyone has their own stories of needles going into veins,” says Dr Bappoo. “Failure rates for those procedures tend to be quite high, mainly due to the inability to see or feel a vein.”
Traditional ultrasound systems are bulky and require extensive training but VeinTech’s innovation simplifies the process by producing clear, easy-to-read data on vein location and quality, making the procedure quicker, safer, and less painful. Following successful clinical trials in Perth hospitals, VeinTech is now finalising its design for regulatory approval. “Our clinicians absolutely see the value of this,” Dr Bappoo says. “It’s easy to use, requires very little training, and can be adopted anywhere – from major hospitals to small clinics.”
Dr Nikhilesh Bappoo’s second company, Lubdub, was inspired by a deeply personal experience. “My dad had a heart attack and luckily he was able to get to hospital and receive a stent within an hour,” he recalls. “But I often wonder what would have happened if we were in Mauritius, where access to care can be limited. That experience drives my commitment to improving access to heart care everywhere.”
At Lubdub, Dr Bappoo and his co-founders have developed a ‘Heart Health in a Box’ – an integrated system that combines three powerful tools:
- A wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) patch to monitor heart rhythm,
- A saliva-based biosensor that detects cardiac biomarkers within minutes, and
- A wearable ultrasound device for real-time imaging of the heart.
This portable solution allows patients to receive heart health assessments without the need for specialist visits or travel, particularly vital for those in rural or remote communities. “It’s all about access and equity of access,” says Dr Bappoo. “We hope to make an impact in communities where connectivity and access to healthcare are limited. Everyone deserves a healthy heart.”
Beyond his scientific and entrepreneurial success, Dr Bappoo is passionate about nurturing emerging medtech talent. “It’s now become my passion to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists to consider medical technology as an area where they can make an impact,” he says. When asked for the advice he’d give to young professionals, he simply said, “be deliberately ambitious and don’t be afraid to think outside the box.”
As he looks to the future, Dr Nikhilesh Bappoo remains focused on developing simple technologies with big impacts, innovations that empower healthcare workers, reduce costs, and make care accessible for all. “It really starts with the simple things,” he says. “By improving everyday procedures, we can make the whole healthcare system stronger.”
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