lasers in biotechnology and medicine - fraunhofer ilt · laser in biotechnology and medicine laser...
TRANSCRIPT
Lasers in BiotechnoLogy and Medicine
F R A U N H O F E R I N S T I T U T E F O R L A S E R T E c H N O L O g y I LT
DQS certified by
DIN EN ISO 9001
Reg.-No.: DE-69572-01
Fraunhofer-Institut
für Lasertechnik ILT
Director
Prof. Dr. Reinhart Poprawe M.A.
Steinbachstraße 15
52074 Aachen, Germany
Phone +49 241 8906-0
Fax +49 241 8906-121
www.ilt.fraunhofer.de
Fraunhofer ILT - Short Profile
With about 330 employees and more than 11,000 m² of usable
floorspace the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT
is worldwide one of the most important development and
contract research institutes of its specific field. The activities
cover a wide range of areas such as the development of
new laser beam sources and components, precise laser based
metrology, testing technology and industrial laser processes.
This includes laser cutting, caving, drilling, welding and soldering
as well as surface treatment, micro processing and rapid
manufacturing.
Furthermore, the Fraunhofer ILT is engaged in laser plant tech-
nology, process control, modeling as well as in the entire system
technology. We offer feasibility studies, process qualification
and laser integration in customer specific manufacturing lines.
The Fraunhofer ILT is part of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft with
more than 80 research units, 18,000 employees and an annual
research budget of over 1.6 billion euros.
Subject to alterations in specifications and other technical information. 05/2011.
1 5
approach, guidance structures fostering targeted cell growth
can be generated. Furthermore laser techniques suitable
to produce biomimetic structures which imitate the cell’s
physiological environment are under inverstigation. Cell
growth can also be influenced through selective modifications
of surface chemistry using laser radiation. In this approach,
photochemical activation of the surface generates anchor
groups for covalent immobilization of biomolecules such as
peptides, proteins and growth factors. In combination with
laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) of biological substances
and cells, new kinds of hybrid structures for a broad application
range from tissue engineering to diagnostic chips are feasible.
Photorelease
The targeted release of drugs in vivo - known as drug
delivery - is subject of intense research at Fraunhofer ILT.
The development of bioactive medical devices equipped with
switchable drug delivery systems designed to release drugs
in a controlled way regarding time and position represents a
promising new form of treatment in many areas of medicine.
One example from current research is the development of
a photorelease system for tumor reduction which enables
the release of on-demand doses of chemotherapeutic drugs
from tailor-made polymer scaffolds through selective laser
irradiation. Laser light of a suitable wavelength and intensity
stimulates special, photoactive anchor groups, causing them
to cleave and release the drug.
Laser Therapy
Working closely with medical experts, our researchers
investigate and validate methods for the precision ablation
of soft and hard tissue and thermal treatment of soft tissue.
For fixation of wound dressings laser tissue soldering (LTS) can
replace suturing techniques or using staples. This will improve
the cosmetic outcome and reduce the burden on patients.
Laser soldering can be safely applied when a temperature
control circuit is used to prevent the tissue from excess
heating. To facilitate the laser process a special handpiece
was developed with integrated temperature and force sensors.
Further examples include the development of a flexible side-
firing optical fiber to enable the homogeneous irradiation of
tissue in a contour line-shape for treating cardiac arrhythmia.
contact
Dr. Elke Bremus-Köbberling
Phone +49 241 8906-396
Dr. Martin Wehner
Phone +49 241 8906-202
1 Live cell imaging of tissue cultures.
2 Aligned cell growth on nano structured
polymer scaffold.
3 Drug release through photoactivation.
4 Side-firing laser fiber.
5 Fluorescent labeling of functionalized PMMA.
6 Laser fixation of wound dressings
in an animal model.
Laser Manufacturing Processes for Medical Devices
Short pulse lasers can be used to create micropores in the
millimeter and micrometer range for dosing systems and
miniaturized drug depots. Both soft and flexible materials
and brittle-hard materials can be processed nearly without
residues using this technique. In addition, structuring and
molding processes can be applied to produce components
for minimally invasive surgical and diagnostic solutions
based on fundamental biological principles such as the
sensory hairs of insects. Threadlike structures that extend
outwards can be produced with high aspect ratio by casting
laser-generated molds. Surfaces can be functionalized by
nano structuring - for example to tailor a material’s wettability.
Laser Techniques for Manufacturing Implants
As average life expectancy increases, so does the incidence
of age-related diseases, too. Advances in medical treatments
implicate that patients can enjoy a good quality of life for
longer. For example, vascular implants can be used to deal
with defective blood vessels in arteriosclerosis patients. This
requires sufficient quantities of replacement tissue and vascular
grafts. There is an increasing trend towards using personalized
implants made from artificial scaffolds which are seeded in
vitro with the patient’s autologous cells. Fraunhofer ILT is
contributing to improve this approach by developing laser
processes for manufacturing scaffold structures and artificial
vascular systems made from biocompatible and biodegradable
polymers for subsequent cell seeding. One of the goals is
to create optimum conditions for cell growth by producing
specific micrometer-sized pores in the scaffolds. These scaffolds
can then be developed into bioartificial vascular prostheses
in subsequent stages. When it comes to creating complex
structures in the micrometer range - e.g. for metabolic exchange
systems and cell guidance structures - Fraunhofer ILT employs
innovative methods such as high-resolution multiphoton
polymerization using femtosecond lasers in addition to
conventional laser structuring techniques. This broad range
of tools enables researchers to construct micro-scale structures
from proteins as well as synthetic polymers.
Surface Functionalization using Laser Radiation
The cells of our body require specific biological stimuli to form
tissues. With the aim of influencing and guiding cell growth
researchers at Fraunhofer ILT are investigating mechanical,
topographical and molecular cues in in vitro cell cultures which
can be implemented on synthetic surfaces through a series
of modifications. Micro and nano structures alter the substrates’
roughness and wetting properties, which, in turn, affect
cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. Applying this
Laser in BiotechnoLogy and MedicineLaser processes offer h igh-precis ion and f lex ib i l i ty , making them versat i le tools for smal l -scale product ion
of medical devices. High br i l l iance f iber lasers can be used to dr i l l or jo in polymer parts for catheters and
microf lu id ic components without degradat ion and under ster i le condit ions. Researchers at the Fraunhofer
Inst i tute for Laser Technology ILT develop laser techniques for the fabr icat ion of medical devices as wel l
as techniques for regenerat ive medic ine and therapeut ic appl icat ions.
2 3 64