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

SBIR一期项目的广泛/商业影响利用了增材制造的最新进展，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。显微注射是一项成熟的工程技术，广泛应用于研究和医学应用，如药物发现和开发、生育治疗和遗传学研究。拟议的技术将使用增材（3D）制造技术制造一种新的微毛细管针，以提高该方法的质量、可重复性、严谨性和有效性，该技术的市场估计为2.9亿美元。该技术将对生命科学研究和医学应用产生积极影响。该项目将利用最先进的亚微米级增材制造技术，通过针尖设计和制造的多功能性，彻底改变微注射效率。特别是，双光子直接激光写入(DLW) -其中聚焦激光精确定位在生物相容性光材料中，以产生包含固化材料的3D结构-提供无与伦比的几何控制水平，特征分辨率为100 nm。这些功能为重新设计微针尖端提供了新的灵活性。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。该项目为每个设计变更提出了多种配置，涉及关键性能指标：抗堵塞效能和制造可重复性。该项目将：建立和描述新的制造协议，模拟预期特性，实验评估（在实验室和使用斑马鱼胚胎的体外）这些独特和新颖架构的定量功效，并定性评估用户体验。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.