Abstract:
The present invention generally relates to nanowires and, in particular, to multiwell plates comprising nanowires, including systems and methods of making the same. Such multiwell plates can, in some cases, be used in automated equipment or high-throughput applications. For example, a plurality of cells may be placed in at least some of the wells of the multiwell plate, and one or more nanowires may be inserted into at least some of the cells within the wells of the multiwell plate. In some cases, one or more of the nanowires may have coated thereon a biological effector. The cells in each of the wells may be identical or different, and/or the biological effector may the same or different. Such multiwell plates may be used, for example, to test a biological effector against a variety of cell types, or to test a variety of biological effectors against a one or more cell types, or the like.
Abstract:
The present invention generally relates to nanowire arrays and methods of fabricating such arrays. In certain embodiments, the fabrication methods can consistently form NW arrays with reproducible configurations at nanoscale sites and produce NWs of specified heights, diameters, and densities. In some cases, the methods also allow formation of NW arrays containing barriers between regions, which would be prohibitively expensive if prepared by other methods.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a method of coating microneedles by which the microneedles mounted on a microneedle device are coated accurately and easily in a mass-producible manner. In this method, a microneedle device (22) with a plurality of microneedles (21) is mounted on a table (23), while a mask plate (25) with a plurality of apertures (24) is fixed to a frame member (26), and a coating solution (27) is drawn in the direction of arrow A on the mask plate (25) using a spatula (28) to fill the apertures (24) with the coating solution. The microneedles (21) are inserted in the apertures (24) before or after the filling of the apertures (24) with the coating solution (27) to coat the microneedles (21).
Abstract:
A method of producing projections on a patch including providing a mask on a substrate and etching the substrate using an etchant and a passivant to thereby control the etching process and form the projections, wherein the passivant does not include oxygen.
Abstract:
Surface micro-machined micro-needles (32) are formed as single needles (32) or in two-dimensional or three-dimensional micro-needle arrays (30). The micro-needles (32) are fabricated on a substrate (12) which can remain attached to the micro-needles (32) or can be subsequently removed. The two-dimensional or three-dimensional micro-needle arrays (30) can have cross-coupling flow channels (36) which allow for pressure equalization, and balance of fluid flow within the micro-needle arrays (30). Each of the micro-needles (32) has a micro-channel (36) therethrough that provides communication between at least one input port (37) at a proximal end of the micro-needles (32), and at least one output port (39) at an opposite distal end.