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An Additive Manufacturing Technique for the Facile and Rapid Fabrication of Hydrogel-based Micromachines with Magnetically Responsive Components
Published on: July 18, 2018
Microfabricated implants for applications in therapeutic delivery, tissue engineering, and biosensing
Kristy M Ainslie1, Tejal A Desai
1Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 64158-2330, USA.
Lab on a Chip
|October 23, 2008
Summary
Microfabrication techniques enable novel in vivo devices for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and biosensing. These advanced implants offer precise features for diverse therapeutic applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Microfabrication, adapted from microelectronics, enables precise engineering of devices for in vivo applications.
- These techniques allow for feature sizes relevant to cellular and tissue scales, facilitating integration with biological systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the application of microfabrication techniques in developing novel in vivo devices.
- To highlight the fabrication methods and materials used for these advanced biomedical implants.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing microfabrication techniques such as photolithography and micromachining.
- Engineering devices with high aspect ratios and precise features ranging from 0.1 to hundreds of microns.
Main Results:
- Development of microfabricated devices for in vivo drug delivery via intravenous, oral, and transdermal routes.
- Creation of microfabricated tissue engineering scaffolds for cardiovascular, orthopedic, and ocular applications.
- Design of in vivo biosensors for detecting analytes and conditions using electrochemical reactions and mechanical loading.
Conclusions:
- Microfabrication significantly impacts diverse therapies and tissues, offering advantages like mass fabrication and miniaturization.
- The review underscores the broad therapeutic potential and fabrication versatility of microengineered in vivo devices.
