IRES: International Research Experience for Students in Micro Medical Manufacturing (IRES-MMM) with the University of North Carolina and Laser Zentrum Hannover

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This award is funded under the American Recover and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The medical industry increasingly relies on knowledge of novel materials and fabrication processes in order to develop replacements for biological tissues as well as advanced medical devices. Rapid prototyping technologies have attracted significant interest for use in fabricating biomedical and dental devices out of biocompatible materials. This proposal supports the development of a research and education program between the University of North Carolina/North Carolina State University Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering and the research group led by Professor Boris Chichkov at the Department of Nanotechnology at Laser Zentrum Hannover, which will fully and systematically assess the structural and functional properties of medical devices created using a rapid prototyping process known as two photon polymerization. Twenty-one students from the University of North Carolina/North Carolin State joint program and Florida International University will participate in the proposed International Research Experience for Students program. Groups of seven students, including four undergraduate students and three graduate students, will fabricate inorganic-organic hybrid materials, mosquito-like microneedles for transdermal drug delivery, and patient-specific breast prostheses using the two photon polymerization system at Laser Zentrum Hannover over seven-week periods in Summer 2010, Summer 2011, and Summer 2012. In addition, the principal investigator will develop a new capstone course that will prepare the students for their research at Laser Zentrum Hannover, and students will be able to participate in industrial internships when they return to the United States.