STTR Phase I: Three-Dimensional Printing of Micro-Capillary Needle via Direct Laser Writing

STTR 第一阶段：通过直接激光写入三维打印微毛细管针

• 批准号: 1938527
• 负责人: Kinneret Rand
• 金额: $ 22.5万
• 依托单位: SEETRUE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-03-01 至 2023-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1938527&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Three; Dimensional; Printing

The broader/commercial impact of this SBIR Phase I project leverages recent advances in additive manufacturing to solve key technical hurdles and design deficits of current industry standard microcapillary needles. Microinjection is a well-established engineering technique and widely used in research and medical applications such as drug discovery and development, fertility treatments, and genetics research. The proposed technology will use additive (3D) manufacturing techniques for a new microcapillary needle to improve the quality, reproducibility, rigor, and efficacy of this method for a market estimated at $290 M. This technology will positively impact life sciences research and medical applications. The proposed project will utilize state-of-the-art submicron-scale additive manufacturing technologies to revolutionize microinjection efficacy via substantive versatility in the design and fabrication of the needle-tip. In particular, two-photon direct laser writing (DLW) – wherein a focused laser is precisely positioned within a biocompatible photo material to produce 3D structures comprising cured material – provides an unparalleled level of geometric control with feature resolutions on the order of 100 nm. These capabilities enable new flexibility in re-architecting of the microneedle tip. In addition, due to recent enhancements in printing speed, DLW-based applications can now shift from niche demonstrations in the laboratory to fully functional commercial products that support rapid operation at scale. The project proposes multiple configurations for each proposed design change with respect to key performance metrics: the anti-clogging efficacy and fabrication repeatability. This project will: establish and characterize novel manufacturing protocols, simulate expected characteristics, experimentally assess (both in the lab and in vitro using the zebrafish embryo) the quantitative efficacy of these distinct and novel architectures, and qualitatively evaluate the user's experience.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

SBIR第一阶段项目的广泛/商业影响利用了添加剂制造方面的最新进展，以解决当前行业标准微毛细管针的关键技术障碍和设计缺陷。微量注射是一种成熟的工程技术，广泛应用于药物发现和开发、生育治疗和遗传学研究等研究和医学应用中。这项拟议的技术将使用一种新的微毛细管针的添加(3D)制造技术，以提高这种方法的质量、重复性、严密性和有效性，市场估计为2.9亿美元。这项技术将对生命科学研究和医疗应用产生积极影响。拟议的项目将利用最先进的亚微米级添加剂制造技术，通过针尖设计和制造的实质性多功能性来革新微注射效率。特别是，双光子直接激光写入(DLW)提供了无与伦比的几何控制水平，特征分辨率约为100 nm。DLW将聚焦的激光精确定位在生物兼容的照片材料中，以生成包含固化材料的3D结构。这些能力使微针尖端的重新设计具有新的灵活性。此外，由于最近打印速度的提高，基于DLW的应用程序现在可以从实验室中的小众演示转变为支持大规模快速操作的全功能商业产品。该项目为每个拟议的设计变更提出了多种配置，涉及关键性能指标：防堵塞效率和制造重复性。该项目将：建立和表征新的制造方案，模拟预期的特性，(在实验室和体外使用斑马鱼胚胎)实验评估这些独特和新颖的架构的量化效果，并定性评估用户的体验。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。