Researchers in the US have demonstrated for the first time that drugs can be successfully delivered to the eye using microneedles, potentially improving the treatment of diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The scientists – from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University – used tiny microneedles less than 1mm in length to inject drugs into the suprachoroidal space of the eye, showing in animal studies that they could travel to the rear of the eye and deliver compounds to the retina and choroid.

Good news for the needle-phobic.

Australian scientists have developed a cheap and painless ’needle-free’ vaccination device that can be self-administered.

A team of 20 researchers led by Professor Mark Kendall, from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at The University of Queensland, have developed the Nanopatch, a stamp-sized vaccine delivery device that could make vaccination programmes globally simpler and cheaper.

The Nanopatch, having 20,000 micro projections per square centimetre, is designed to directly place vaccine into the human skin, which is rich in immune cells.

Navigation is typically associated with cars, trucks, aircraft, ships, and, of course, people. It has also begun to play a significant role in medical technology, where it is used in precision surgical instruments and robotics. The design requirements of a surgical navigation tool share broad similarities with traditional vehicle navigation, but they also pose some distinct challenges—because the devices are used indoors, GPS assistance is not possible, for example—and they require a higher level of performance.

In this article, we will examine the unique challenges of medical navigation applications and explore possible solutions ranging from sensor mechanisms to system characteristics. Critical sensor specifications will be reviewed as well as potential error and drift mechanisms that should be taken into account during sensor selection. Enhancing sensors through integration, fusion and processing, by the use of Kalman filtering, for example, also will be highlighted. Before diving into the details, however, it may be useful to review some fundamental principles of inertial microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor technology.

There is no neat, targeted way to treat diabetic retinopathy, a condition that could lead to blindness. Laser therapy can result in diminished side and night vision and the other current method used, the cancer drug docetaxel, clear from the system so quickly that high doses are needed, increasing toxicity to healthy tissue. The research group ANPRON tells us about a team of Canadian scientists who think they have found a solution for sufferers of diabetic retinopathy. They have made a MEMS device (micron-sized electromechanical systems) that could be implanted behind the eye and release docetaxel on command by an external magnet.

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS BIO-MEMS?

WHAT IS NANOTECHNOLOGY & NANO BIOSENSOR ?

FABRICATION OF MEMS

FABRICATION OF BIOMEMS

FABRICATION OF BIOMEMS (CONTINUED)

MINIATURIZATION IN LIFE SCIENCES-1

MINIATURIZATION IN LIFE SCIENCES PART 2

MICROFLUIDICS

CAPILLARY DRIVEN MICROFLUIDICS

PRESSURE DRIVEN – MICROFLUIDICS

PDMS BASED INTEGRATED FLUIDIC CIRCUITS

CENTRIFUGAL DRIVEN MICROFLUIDICS

ELECTRO-KINETIC DRIVEN MICROFLUIDICS

ELECTRO WETTING BASED MICROFLUIDICS

PLUG BASED/ SAW BASED MICROFLUIDICS

MICROVALVES

MICROPUMPS

MICROFLUIDIC COMPONENTS

CELLS IN MICROFLUIDICS 01

CELLS IN MICROFLUIDICS 02/PCR

Lec22

DRUG DELEIVERY SYSTEMS & IMPLANTATION DEVICES

LECTURE 24

POINT OF CARE TEST

LECTURE 26