Measuring brain signals with a new 3D-printed microscale medical device

Israeli 3D electronics printer manufacturer Nano Dimension has produced a micro-3D printed medical device to record neuronal activity in mice for a new biomedical research project.

As part of the study, the company has established cooperation with three leading research centers in Canada and France, which will assess neural circuits and mechanisms related to the processing of somatosensory information. Put simply, somatosensory is the ability to sense touch, temperature, pain, and body position.

Nano Dimension used its Fabrica Micro 3D printer to meet micron-level precision requirements for a 2.7 mm wide medical device that includes 110 µm holes for electrodes.

3D printed in just a week, while producing the device using conventional manufacturing processes would take much longer. Louison Brochoire, a PhD student at the University of Bordeaux working on the research project, said it would take “several months” to produce the device using alternative methods.

Brochoire added: “The high precision and resolution of Nano Dimension’s micro-3D printing technology, combined with the use of a biocompatible material, has enabled us to create a new tool necessary to achieve our main goal.”

He believes that additive manufacturing in medical applications will “transcend many limitations.” Project results will reportedly highlight the key role of additive manufacturing in advancing biomedical research and developing novel medical devices.

A 3D-printed medical device can scan a mouse’s brain

Micro-scale medical devices pose significant manufacturing challenges due to their small size, dimensional requirements, and complex functions. For this project, the researchers needed a miniature orthosis that could securely hold two electrodes on the mouse’s vertebrae.

Only limited trials have examined the electrical activity of dorsal horn neurons in conscious animals. Brochoire noted that this is difficult because of the mouse’s movements when walking or breathing and the difficulty of accessing specific points on the vertebrae.

Therefore, the team needed a clamp that would allow the animal to move while “firmly securing and stabilizing the electrodes placed in very small holes.” To achieve this, they turned to Nano Dimension and Fabrica’s micro-3D printing technology.

This 3D printer can produce accurate and functional parts with tight tolerances, a pixel size of 4 μm and layer heights from 1 to 10 μm. Using this technology, Nano Dimension successfully 3D printed a tiny orthosis according to the research team’s requirements.

“Being able to make such precise and tiny holes in the brace was crucial,” Brochoire added. “This design feature helped minimize artifacts caused by the animal’s breathing and movement, which would have interfered with our electrical signal, complicating analysis of the results.”

The part was 3D printed using the company’s Fabrica Medical M-810 biocompatible material, which meets specific requirements for live mouse implantation. The material is non-toxic to human cells, making it ideal for medical device applications beyond animal testing.

The study involved Professor Pascal Fossat from the Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives (IMN); Professor Yves De Koninck from the CERVO Research Center in Quebec; Professor Benoit Gosselin from Laval University in Quebec; and Juliette Viellard, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bordeaux.

Microscale 3D printing for medical applications

Micro-3D printing offers significant potential in the production of medical devices. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a 3D-printed, self-heating microfluidic device for low-cost disease detection.

The MIT team used multi-material extrusion 3D printing to produce the device in a single production step. It featured biodegradable PLA and a modified material infused with copper nanoparticles that can dissipate electrical current as heat. The tiny device, about the size of a US quarter, has channels that are 500 mm wide and 400 mm high to facilitate fluid flow and chemical reactions.

Elsewhere, researchers from the University of Birmingham and the University of Southern Queensland used micro-3D printing technology to create microneedles. These tiny needles, smaller than the tip of a human finger, can be used to deliver drugs transdermally across the skin barrier, collect tiny biological samples for diagnostics, and even for cosmetic procedures.

The team used two-photon polymerization (2PP), a form of precision resin 3D printing that can produce complex microstructures in the nanometer range. Produced on a Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT 3D printer, the needles were produced with a laser power of 80 mW, a printing speed of 50,000 µm/s and a cutting distance of 0.5 µm to 0.7 µm.

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The featured image shows 3D printed microscale parts of a medical device. Image via Nano Dimension.