Piezopumps for Microchemical Stimulation of Tissue

将生物活性溶液注射到细胞和组织中是大多数生物医学研究的一个组成部分，但可用于这些程序的仪器是粗糙、笨重和不精确的。MicroFab Technologies, Inc.的David B. Wallace博士开发了一种固态压电“泵”，可以在许多生物医学研究应用中取代机械泵、离子导入和压力注射系统。与传统系统相比，压电泵可以提供更小的泵送体积，更高的可靠性和准确性，同时“推挽”泵送模式，以及方便的（固态）自动化和流体输送/去除程序控制。MicroFab计划制造并测试用于向组织或细胞注射药物的压电泵。该公司已经开发出用于许多应用的压电泵，但生物医学用途将需要通过相当小的孔和更高的流体阻力进行泵送。MicroFab将在模拟活体泵送条件下测试压电泵的性能，并确定可靠泵送的最小孔口、最小和最大可靠流量以及泵送精度等事项。压电泵系统可以大大扩展大多数生物医学研究实验室的研究能力；现在很难或不可能的程序可能会成为固态泵的常规程序。

Injecting biologically active solutions into cells and tissues is an integral part of most biomedical research, but the instrumentation available for these procedures is crude, cumbersome, and imprecise. Dr. David B. Wallace with MicroFab Technologies, Inc. has developed a solid-state piezoelectric "pump" that could replace mechanical pumps, iontophoresis, and pressure-injection systems in many biomedical research applications. Compared to conventional systems, the piezoelectric pump could provide vastly smaller pumping volumes, greater reliability and accuracy, simultaneous "push-pull" pumping modes, and convenient (solid-state) automation and control of fluid delivery/removal programs. MicroFab plans to build and test piezoelectric pumps for injecting drugs into tissues or cells. The firm has developed piezopumps for many applications, but biomedical uses will require pumping through considerable smaller orifices and against higher fluid resistance. MicroFab will test piezopump performance under simulated intravital pumping conditions and determine such matters as minimum orifice for reliable pumping, minimum and maximum reliable flow rates, and pumping accuracy. The piezoelectric pumping system could substantially expand the research capabilities of most biomedical research laboratories; procedures now difficult or impossible may be come routine with the solid-state pump.