MEMS Devices for Cell Implantation

Recent advances in cell implantation therapy promise a cure or mitigation of devastating neurological conditions such as Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases, and the repair of a stroke-damaged brain. Improvement in motor control and balancewas observed in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease after receiving intracerebral implantation of retinal cells. Cell grafts are administered during stereotactic surgical procedures that allow placement of cells deep within the central nervoussystem. Guide cannulae are of the order of 2 millimeters in diameter. This proposal presents a revolutionary cellular (or drug) infusion devices fabricated from silicon by MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technology. MEMS allows for the creation ofcomplex structures such as micropumps, microneedles, and microfluidic networks on a scale commensurate with stereotactic surgical instrumentation. Pioneering MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) R&D in the proposer's laboratory has lead to amicrosampling device, consisting of a hollow silicon microneedle comparable in cross-section to a human hair integrated with lab-on-a-chip microfluidics. This device is made by silicon microfabrication technology developed for the manufacture ofelectronic integrated circuits, and can be produced in high volume at low unit cost. This technology can also be adapted to the fabrication of microsurgical devices for the delivery of cells or drugs to deep within the central nervous system. The abilityto fabricate microsurgical devices for accurate and reliable delivery of cells or drugs deep within the central nervous system will profoundly benefit the treatment and care of patients suffer from devastating neurological conditions. The commercialopportunities will primarily be in the health care industry. Other commercial markets include: veterinary medicine, laparoscopic surgery, dental surgery, and medical research.