Development of Bioprobe Integrated with Microneedle for Cellular Function Analysis (3rd Report)

Micromachining and Basic Characteristics of Bioprobe

Abstract

In order to realize cellular function analysis on a chip-base system, we have been developing a newly designed AFM probe in which a conventional sharp tip is superseded by a hollow silicon dioxide (SiO₂) microneedle. The probe will be capable not only of performing AFM measurements but also of introducing desired biomolecules (nucleic acids, proteins, etc.) into living cells and extracting biomolecules expressed in the cells. In the present work, bioprobes were successfully fabricated by employing microfabrication technique of microneedles with a sharpened tip and electrostatic field-assisted direct bonding technique. Moreover, the insertion performance of the microneedles into a gelatin as an artificial cell and the ability of AFM measurements were examined.