Title: Role of MEMS and nanotechnology in medical technologies
1Role of MEMS and nanotechnology in medical
technologies
2First of all, what is MEMS ?
- MEMS stands for Micro Electro Mechanical Systems.
- It is a technique of combining Electrical and
Mechanical components together on a chip, to
produce a system of miniature dimensions ..
- By miniature, we mean dimensions less than the
- thickness of human hair !!!!
3 The wonder called nanotechnology
- Nanotechnology is the technology of arranging
atoms and molecules in a material. - This allows to alter the properties of a material
and build structures of desired features. - A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.
- Nanotechnology makes it possible to manufacture
devices 80,000 times smaller than the thickness
of human hair !!
4A simple analogy..
- The atoms in an object can be compared to the
blocks in a building game. - In a building game, the blocks can be arranged to
create different looking structures. - Similarly, atoms can be arranged differently to
produce a multitude of devices. This forms the
basis of nanotechnology.
5Benefits of MEMS and nanotechnology in medical
applications
- Small volume of reagent samples (like blood),
required for analysis. - Low power consumption, hence lasts longer on the
same battery. - Less invasive, hence less painful.
- Integration permits a large number of systems to
be built on a single chip. - Batch processing can lower costs significantly.
- Existing IC technology can be used to make these
devices. - Silicon, used in most MEMS devices, interferes
lesser with body tissues.
6Can MEMS devices really replace the existing
medical devices ?
- A lot of MEMS medical devices have been developed
that are much more sensitive and robust than
their conventional counterparts. - Market trends for MEMS medical devices show a
promising future ahead.
www.edmond-wheelchair.com/ bp_monitors3.htm
http//www.sensorsmag.com/articles/0497/medical/ma
in.shtml
7Projected MEMS market share in 2006
http//www.memsindustrygroup.org/industy_statistic
s.asp
8Classification of biological MEMS devices
- Biomedical MEMS deals in vivo, within the
host body. - precision surgery
- Biotelemetry
- Drug delivery
- Biosensors and other physical sensors
- Biotechnology MEMS deals in vitro, with the
biological samples obtained from the host body. - Diagnostics
- gene sequencing
- Drug discover
- pathogen detection
-
9MEMS Sensors
- MEMS sensors in the biomedical field maybe used
as - Critical sensors, used during operations.
- Long term sensors for prosthetic devices.
- Sensor arrays for rapid monitoring and
- diagnosis at home.
10MEMS and nanotechnology in precision surgery
11MEMS and endoscopy
- What is endoscopy ?
- A diagnostic procedure which involves the
introduction of a flexible device into the lower
or upper gastrointestinal tract for diagnostic or
therapeutic purposes. - Conventional endoscopes
- Can be used to view only the first
- third of the small intestine.
- Require sedation of patient
- Is an uncomfortable procedure
http//www.mobileinstrument.com
http//www.surgical-optics.com/new_autoclavable_ri
gid_endoscope.htm
12MEMS redefines endoscopy with Lab on a Pill
- Size 35mm
- Components of lab on a pill
- Digital camera (CMOS Technology)
- Light source
- Battery
- Radio transmitter
- Sensors (MEMS Technology)
- Requires no sedation
- Can show a view of the
- entire small intestine
- Can aid in early detection
- of colon cancer
http//www.spie.org/web/oer/august/aug00/cover2.ht
ml
http//www.see.ed.ac.uk/tbt/norchip2002.pdf
13Working of this magic pill !
- The pill is intended to be swallowed like any
normal pill. - Once within the body, the pill's sensors sample
body fluids and pick up "meaningful patient data"
such as temperature, dissolved oxygen levels and
pH. - The pill is expected to retrieve all data over a
12-hour period and disposed off, once excreted. - This data is transmitted wirelessly to a card
attached - to the wrist of the individual.
14Micro-surgical tools
- Present day surgeons operate within a domain
restricted by the mobility and control of the
surgical tools at hand. - MEMS surgical tools provide the flexibility and
accuracy to perform precision surgery.
15MEMS driven scalpels
- Precise control of the scalpel is an important
requirement in any surgery. - MEMS piezoelectric motor help to accurately
position the scalpel. - MEMS pressure sensors incorporated on the
scalpel, can help to measure the force exerted on
the area operated upon. Accordingly, the scalpel
can he handled.
http//www.ee.ucla.edu/jjudy/publications/confere
nce/msc_2000_judy.pdf
16Ultrasonic MEMS cutting tool
http//www.ee.ucla.edu/jjudy/publications/confere
nce/msc_2000_judy.pdf
- These tools make use of piezoelectric materials
attached to the cutter. - Consist of microchannels to flush out the fluid
and debris while - cutting.
- Can be used to cut tough tissues, like the
hardened lenses of - patients with cataract
17Skin Resurfacing
- Skin resurfacing is a form of cosmetic surgery
that is often used to aesthetically enhance the
appearance of wrinkles, skin lesions,
pigmentation irregularities, moles, roughness,
and scars. - Conventional resurfacing techniques involve the
use of - Dermabraders devices or tools used in plastic
surgery. - Chemical peels chemicals such as glycolic acid.
18Drawbacks of the conventional approaches in skin
resurfacing
- May cause excessive bleeding
- Often require time-consuming procedures
- Require multiple sessions.
- Lightened pigments at the operated site
- Furthermore, chemical peels cannot be
- used for removal of lesions with
- significant depth.
19MEMS skin resurfacing tools
- Though still not commercially available, MEMS
tools have been found to overcome many drawbacks
present in the conventional techniques. - They can be used to remove raised skin lesions as
well as lesions upto certain depths. - These MEMS structures are packaged
- onto rotary elements and used
- over the affected areas.
- The debris can then be sucked out
- using a suction pump.
http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd
RetrievedbPubMedlist_uids12787986doptAbstrac
t
20Micro/Nano Robots in medical field
- These are micro/nano scale devices capable of
treating and eliminating medical problems. - Such problems may arise due to the accumulation
of unwanted organic substances, which interfere
with the normal body functions, such as - Tumors
- Life threatening blood clots
- Accumulation of scar tissue
- Arterial blockage
- Localized sites of infection.
21Considerations before introducing the robots into
the body.
- The robot size should be smaller than the
diameter of the artery . - The robot should not damage the arterial walls as
it - traverses through it.
- The robot can be introduced into the body through
the circulatory system of the body. - The femoral artery in the leg would be the most
suited, because it is a large diameter artery and
is traditionally used to introduce catheters in
the body.
22Removal of the diseased area
- Fatty material deposited on the arterial walls
causing artery blockage, can be physically
removed using nanoblades. - Physically shredding tumor can pose a great
threat. The pieces can be carried to other
locations and result in furthering of cancerous
cells. - One effective approach to kill the cancerous
cells would be to enclose the entire tumor in a
nano box and destroying everything in the box.
www.foresight.org/.../Gallery/ Captions/Image201.h
tml
23A Graphical Representation of nanorobots working
in a blood vessel, to remove a cancerous cell
www.e-spaces.com/portfolio/ trans/blood/
24 25MEMS microneedles
- MEMS enables hundreds of hollow microneedles to
be fabricated on a single patch of area, say a
square centimeter. - This patch is applied to the skin and drug is
delivered to the body using micropumps. - These micropumps can be electronically controlled
to allow specific amounts of the drug and also
deliver them at specific intervals. - Microneedles are too small to reach and stimulate
the nerve endings, and hence cause no pain to the
body.
gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/ newsrelease/NEEDLES.htm
http//www.pharmtech.com/pharmtech/data/articlesta
ndard/pharmtech/022004/80733/article.pdf
26Smart Pill
- A MEMS device that can be implanted in the human
body. - Consists of
- biosensors
- Battery
- Control circuitry
- Drug reservoirs
- The biosensors sense the substance to be
measured, say insulin. - Once this quantity falls below a certain amount
required by the body, the pill releases the drug.
http//mmadou.eng.uci.edu/
27Challenges for MEMS medical sensors
- Biocompatibility remains the biggest hurdle for
MEMS medical devices. - Life of the device.
- Retrieving data out of the device.
- Resist drifting along with the body fluids.
28Acknowledgements
- This effort is based upon work partially
supported by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. 0239262 and The Florida Hi-Tech
Corridor Workforce Training grant - Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this material are
those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the National Science
Foundation or the Florida HiTech Corridor
Workforce Training Grant.
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