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纳米和微观结构，能够在实验室环境中检测癌细胞并促进骨骼生长。然而，在医疗保健行业实施这些芯片往往很困难，部分原因是其微小表面特征的微妙性质和缺陷敏感性。这个多学科的研究项目将利用一种新颖的科学方法来操纵细胞，创造一种新型的生物纳米复合材料。提出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。采用先进的集成电路（IC）制造技术制造的生物纳米复合材料的表面是平坦和光滑的，同时通过具有不同物理性质（如表面能和蛋白质吸附特性）的不同类别的材料的复杂纳米图案保持细胞操作功能。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知识差距。该研究项目的总体目标是开发机械坚固的生物纳米复合材料表面的新型制造工艺，并扩展我们在这种新型生物材料的细胞形态控制和粘附领域的知识。新的基于集成电路的制造方法，如高精度纳米级化学机械抛光/平面化（CMP）技术，将被开发用于制造所提出的生物纳米复合材料。这些复合材料上的细胞行为将被表征，贴壁细胞产生的蛋白质将被分析。将建立数学模型来预测生物纳米复合材料结构上的细胞行为。利用这种新型复合材料的新型医学和生物工程应用将得到开发。拟议的生物纳米复合材料的成功开发将导致加拿大首个基于ic的生物材料器件CMP制造设施的发展。该研究项目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。这种双重用途的技术也可以直接应用于纳米电子和量子计算机芯片制造，这是一个被认为是国家安全利益的领域。该计划将培训HQP先进的集成电路制造技术，生物分子表征和微生物学。学生将有能力在医疗设备和集成电路制造行业从事职业。

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.