Inkjet technology still full of surprisesINAUGURAL LECTURE BY PROF. FRITS DIJKSMAN, PROFESSOR OF “INNOVATIVE BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF INKJET TECHNOLOGY” AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE21 January 2013 |
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Inkjet technology involves the generation of small droplets on command. Consumer and office inkjet printers used to make documents and photographs use the very same technology. Professor Frits Dijksman will give his inaugural speech on 24 January, at the University of Twente. In his speech, Prof. Dijksman will examine biomedical applications of inkjet technology. Frits Dijksman holds a post at the University of Twente’s MIRA research institute. Prof. Dijksman was formerly a senior director in Philips Research’s Healthcare Programme. In his speech, he discusses three applications of inkjet technology for medical use: microarray printing, needle-free injection, and microdosing. Microarray printing is used, for example, in DNA research and medical diagnostics. Various substances are deposited onto a substrate - the microarray. These substances either do or do not react with blood samples submitted for testing. This can show whether the individual in question has suffered an infection or whether he/she is susceptible to a given disease. Frits Dijksman notes that “The system must, of course, be foolproof, which is why we use inkjet technology in combination with cameras. At each process step, we can check that the operation asked for has indeed been carried out.” Researchers at the University of Twente’s “Physics of Fluids” chair are working on the needle-free injection of vaccines, for example. This involves studying the behaviour of super-fast jets. These super-fast jets are generated in very small glass tubes (50-200 micrometers in diameter) filled with an aqueous solution, using a powerful laser pulse. Prof. Dijksman admits that “We still have many questions regarding the use of this technique. For instance, how fast does a jet have to travel to penetrate the skin, what quantities are medically relevant, and does the therapeutic substance in question survive the mechanical forces released during the generation of these super-fast jets? We are researching this application together with several other departments at the University of Twente and at other universities.” As an example of a microdosing system, Frits Dijksman cites IntelliCap, which is manufactured by Medimetrics (a Philips Research spin-out company). IntelliCap is an electronic device that is designed to be easily swallowed. It then delivers drugs at a predetermined location in the gastrointestinal tract. Prof. Dijksman explains that “The University of Twente is currently cooperating with various parties on a proposal by Technology Foundation STW to extend the functionality of IntelliCap beyond drug delivery, to include biochemical analyses.” Inaugural lecture
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