Fabricating bio-nanocomposites using integrated circuit-based advanced manufacturing techniques

基于表面形貌的细胞操纵芯片具有突出的3D纳米和微结构，能够在实验室环境中检测癌细胞并促进骨生长。然而，在医疗保健行业实施这些芯片往往很困难，部分原因是它们的小表面特征具有微妙的性质和缺陷敏感性。这一多学科的研究计划将创造一种新的生物纳米复合材料，使用一种新的科学方法来操纵细胞。拟议的新生物材料将在医疗保健工业应用中具有无与伦比的性能，如外科植入物和芯片实验室技术。所提出的生物纳米复合材料采用先进的集成电路(IC)制造技术制备，表面平整光滑，同时通过不同类别材料的复杂纳米图案保持细胞操作功能，这些材料具有各种物理特性，如表面能量和蛋白质吸附特性。然而，制造和设计这些新设备的过程是复杂和具有挑战性的。此外，在理解由不同类别材料的纳米图案构成的平坦光滑表面上的细胞行为方面，存在着知识差距。 这项研究计划的主要目标是开发机械坚固的生物纳米复合材料表面的新制造工艺，并扩大我们在细胞形态控制和在这类新的生物材料上附着领域的知识。新的IC制造方法，如高精度纳米级化学机械抛光/平坦化(CMP)技术，将被开发来制造所提出的生物纳米复合材料。将对这些复合材料上的细胞行为进行表征，并对贴壁细胞产生的蛋白质进行分析。将建立数学模型来预测生物纳米复合结构上的细胞行为。利用这种新型复合材料的新型医疗和生物工程应用将被开发出来。拟议的生物纳米复合材料的成功开发将导致加拿大第一个基于集成电路的用于生物材料设备的化学机械抛光制造设施的开发。来自这项研究计划的知识将为未来基于纳米复合材料的外科植入物产生新的表面图案设计规则，具有无与伦比的成功率和减少手术后细菌感染的数量。这种两用技术还可以直接应用于纳米电子和量子计算机芯片制造，这是一个被认为涉及国家安全利益的领域。这项拟议的计划将对HQP进行先进的IC制造技术、生物分子表征和微生物学方面的培训。学生将处于有利地位，在医疗器械和IC制造行业寻求职业生涯。

Surface topographic-based cell-manipulating chips with protruding 3D nano- and micro-structures have the ability to detect cancer cells and promote bone growth in laboratory environments. However, it is often difficult to implement these chips in the healthcare industry, in part due to the delicate nature and defect sensitivity of their small surface features. This multi-disciplinary research program will create a new class of bio-nanocomposites using a novel scientific approach to manipulate cells. The proposed new biomaterial will have unparalleled performance in healthcare industrial applications such as surgical implants and lab-on-a-chip technology. The surfaces of the proposed bio-nanocomposites, fabricated by using advanced integration circuit (IC) manufacturing techniques, are flat and smooth while maintaining cell manipulation functionalities through intricate nano-patterns of dissimilar classes of materials with various physical properties such as surface energy and protein adsorption characteristics. However, the process of fabricating and designing these new devices is complex and challenging. Furthermore, there is a knowledge gap in understanding cell behaviour on flat-smooth surfaces that are constructed with nano-patterns of different classes of materials. The overarching goal of this research program is developing novel fabrication processes for mechanically robust bio-nanocomposite surfaces and expanding our knowledge in the field of cell morphology control and adhesion on this new class of biomaterial. New IC-based fabrication methods, such as high-precision nanometer scale chemical-mechanical polishing/planarization (CMP) techniques, will be developed to manufacture the proposed bio-nanocomposites. Cell behaviours on these composites will be characterized and proteins produced by the adherent cells will be analyzed. Mathematic models will be formulated to predict cell behaviours on the bio-nanocomposite structures. Novel medical and bioengineering applications that utilize this new composite will be developed. The successful development of the proposed bio-nanocomposite will lead to the development of Canada's first IC-based CMP fabrication facilities for biomaterial devices. The knowledge from this research program will produce new surface pattern design rules for future nanocomposite-based surgical implants with an unmatched success rate and a reduced number of post-surgical bacterial infections. This dual-use technology can also be directly applied to nanoelectronic and quantum computer chip fabrications, a field which is considered a national security interest. This proposed program will train HQP in advanced IC fabrication techniques, bio-molecular characterizations, and microbiology. Students would be well-positioned to pursue careers in the medical device and IC fabrication industries.