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

STTR 第一阶段：通过直接激光写入三维打印微毛细管针

• 批准号: 1938527
• 负责人: Kinneret Rand
• 金额: $ 22.5万
• 依托单位: SEETRUE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-03-01 至 2023-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1938527&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Three; Dimensional; Printing

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.

该SBIR I期项目的更广泛/商业影响利用添加剂制造方面的最新进展来解决当前行业标准微毛细管针的关键技术障碍和设计定义。显微注射是一项公认的工程技术，在研究和医学应用中广泛使用，例如药物发现和发育，生育治疗以及遗传学研究。拟议的技术将使用添加剂（3D）制造技术用于新的微毛细管针，以提高这种方法的质量，可重现性，严格性和效率，以估计为290美元。这项技术将对生命科学研究和医疗应用产生积极影响。拟议的项目将利用最先进的亚尺度添加剂制造技术，通过在针头的设计和制造方面的实质性多功能性来彻底改变微注射效率。特别是，两光子直接激光写入（DLW） - 其中，聚焦激光精确地位于生物相容性的照片材料中，以产生包含固化材料的3D结构，提供了无与伦比的几何控制水平，具有100 nm阶的特征分辨率。这些功能使新的灵活性可以重新构造微针尖端。此外，由于印刷速度的最新提高，基于DLW的应用程序现在可以从实验室的利基示范转变为支持大规模快速运行的功能齐全的商业产品。该项目建议针对关键性能指标进行每种建议的设计更改的多种配置：反堵塞效率和制造可重复性。该项目将：建立和表征新颖的制造协议，模拟预期特征，在实验中评估（在实验室和使用Zebrafish Embryo中进行体外评估）这些独特和新颖的架构的定量效率，并定性地评估用户的经验。该奖项通过评估NSF的诚实构成了诚实的评估，该奖项已被评估构成构成的知识群体，并构成了构成的依据。