GOALI: Collaboration on Novel Materials and Methods for 3D Printing of Microscale Medical Devices

局部复发性直肠癌的微创监测仍然是医生和患者面临的挑战。这项研究的结果将使多光子吸收过程能够用于3D打印微型医疗设备，这些医疗设备具有适当的化学，生物，机械和功能特性，可用于体内，特别是用于检测局部复发性直肠癌。将对天然光敏材料的3D打印进行研究，以确定这些材料是否比现有的3D打印材料具有更好的生物相容性。将对增加基于多光子吸收的3D打印工艺的输出进行研究，以了解对3D打印工艺的修改如何能够比传统的3D打印工艺更快地制造微尺度结构。该研究将做出科学贡献，（a）实现微型医疗设备应用的3D打印技术创新，（B）促进新型医疗传感器的开发，用于检测每年影响超过40，000名美国人的癌症。该奖项还支持在当地科学博物馆举办的几次活动，让研究团队向年轻人和社区中的其他人传播这项研究的结果和实例。该学术与工业联络资助机会（GOALI）研究的目的是使用微型医疗设备的3D打印作为案例研究，以更好地了解（a）3D打印过程的改进和（B）使用天然存在的前体材料进行3D打印。这项研究计划包括三个重叠的八个月阶段，将在两年内进行。第一阶段将涉及了解使用3D打印的天然光敏材料处理的材料的化学和物理特性。将检查细胞与3D打印材料之间的相互作用，以了解这些材料的生物相容性。第二阶段将涉及3D打印材料和3D打印微型传感器的机械特性，部分将在工业合作伙伴的现场进行。第三阶段将涉及使用商业获得的组织进行体外研究，以检查用于直肠癌检测的3D打印微型传感器的功能，并将在工业合作伙伴的现场进行。工业合作伙伴将提供有关3D打印和传感器表征的指导。这项研究的智力意义在于，它将为科学界提供更好的理解：（a）一种新的3D打印工艺，用于更快速地制造微尺度结构;（B）基于天然光敏材料的新型3D打印材料。

Minimally invasive surveillance of locally recurrent rectal cancer remains a challenge for physicians and their patients. Results of this research will enable use of a multi-photon absorption process for 3D printing of microscale medical devices with appropriate chemical, biological, mechanical, and functional properties for use in the body, in particular for detecting locally recurrent rectal cancer. Research into 3D printing with naturally-occurring photosensitive materials will be conducted to determine if these materials possess better biocompatibility than existing 3D printed materials. Research into increasing the output of the multi-photon absorption-based 3D printing process will be performed to understand how modifications to the 3D printing process may enable more rapid manufacturing of microscale structures than conventional 3D printing processes. The research will make scientific contributions that will (a) enable innovation in 3D printing technologies for microscale medical device applications and (b) facilitate development of a new type of medical sensor for detecting a type of cancer that affects more than 40,000 Americans each year. This award also supports several events at a local science museum for the research team to disseminate results and examples from this research to young people and others in the community.The objective of this Grant Opportunity for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) research is to use 3D printing of microscale medical devices as a case study to better understand (a) improvements to the 3D printing process and (b) use of naturally-occurring precursor materials for 3D printing. The plan for this research contains three overlapping eight month phases, which will be conducted over two years. Phase I will involve understanding the chemical and physical characteristics of materials that are processed with naturally-occurring photosensitive materials using 3D printing. Interactions between cells and the 3D printed materials will be examined to understand the biocompatibility of these materials. Phase II will involve mechanical characterization of the 3D printed materials and the 3D printed microscale sensors and will partially occur at the industrial partner's site. Phase III will involve in vitro studies with commercially-obtained tissue to examine the functionality of the 3D printed microscale sensors for rectal cancer detection and will occur at industrial partner's site. The industrial partner will provide guidance regarding 3D printing and sensor characterization. The intellectual significance of this research is that it will provide the scientific community with better understanding of (a) a novel 3D printing process for more rapid manufacturing of microscale structures and (b) novel 3D printing materials based on naturally-occurring photosensitive materials.