PIEZOPUMPS FOR MICROCHEMICAL STIMULATION OF TISSUE

INJECTING BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SOLUTIONS INTO CELLS AND TISSUES IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF MOST BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH, BUT THE INSTRUMENTATION AVAILABLE FOR THESE PROCEDURES IS CRUDE, CUMBERSOME, AND IMPRECISE. MICROFAB TECHNOLOGIES, INC., HAS DEVELOPED A SOLID-STATE PIEZOELECTRIC 'PUMP' THAT COULD REPLACE MECHANICAL PUMPS, IONTOPHORESIS, AND PRESSURE-INJECTION SYSTEMS IN MANY BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH APPLICATIONS. COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL SYSTEMS, THE PIEZOELECTRIC PUMP COULD PROVIDE VASTLY SMALLER PUMPING VOLUMES, GREATER RELIABILITY AND ACCURACY, SIMULTANEOUS "PUSH-PULL" PUMPING MODES, AND CONVENIENT (SOLID-STATE) AUTOMATION AND CONTROL OF FLUID DELIVERY/REMOVAL PROGRAMS. THE RESEARCHERS WANT TO BUILD AND TEST PIEZOELECTRIC PUMPS FOR INJECTING DRUGS INTO TISSUES OR CELLS. THEY HAVE DEVELOPED PIEZOPUMPS FOR MANY APPLICATIONS, BUT BIOMEDICAL USES WILL REQUIRE PUMPING THROUGH CONSIDERABLY SMALLER ORIFICES AND AGAINST HIGHER FLUID RESISTANCE. THUS THEY WILL TEST PIEZOPUMP PERFORMANCE UNDER SIMULATED INTRAVITAL PUMPING CONDITIONS AND DETERMINE SUCH MATTERS AS MINIMUM ORIFICE FOR RELIABLE PUMPING, MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM RELIABLE FLOW RATS, AND PUMPING ACCURACY. THE PIEZOELECTRIC PUMPING SYSTEM COULD SUBSTANTIALLY EXPAND THE RESEARCH CAPABILITES OF MOST BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES; PROCEDURES NOW DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE COULD BE ROUTINE WITH THE SOLID-STATE PUMP.