BioForce Nanosciences Holdings, Inc., a producer of integrated biological and mechanical systems for life science researchers at the micro and nano scales, today announced that its Nano eNabler molecular printer was called a “disruptive technology” in a recent report by Frost and Sullivan. The report highlighted key advantages over existing technologies for the deposition of biological materials via printing and lithography at ultramicro and nano levels. These capabilities are a critical step in the development and production of new types of miniaturized biosensors for detecting pathogens or screening biomarkers.
Frost and Sullivan’s report says, “The Nano eNabler system is an example of a disruptive technology that challenges the conventional methods of printing and lithography.” The consulting firm noted that the closest sources of competition in the biomolecular printing market are dip pen nanolithography (DPN), nanopipettes, elastomeric (PDMS) microcontact printing, and ink jet printing and that the Nano eNabler has advantages over each of these.
“The Nano eNabler system improves upon DPN by expanding the patterning area from 100 micrometers to 50 mm. Nanopipettes suffer from unfortunate clogging problems due to their small inside diameter. The surface patterning tools used on the Nano eNabler system utilizes an open channel microfluidic design that prevents clogging,” the report states.
In addition, Frost and Sullivan notes that PDMS stamps are expensive, and “the technique does not lend itself to multiplexing with a second molecule due to alignment issues.” The Nano eNabler “overcomes these limitations by allowing instant pattern revisions from the NanoWare software interface, as well as simplified and precise multiplexing for the creation of complex multiple component patterns.”
Ink jet printers can clog if the solution is not well-filtered and cannot achieve the small volumes that the Nano eNabler can. The report notes, “If small spots or lines in the 1 to 30 micrometer range are needed, ink jet technology will not be able to meet those specifications, although the Nano eNabler has been designed for just that purpose.”
Michael Lynch, Director of NeN Products, BioForce, stated that "The key advantages of the Nano eNabler system are printing small volumes of biomolecules, precision, speed, and multiplexing, which enables biosensors to detect multiple analytes. These same advantages are also driving robust interest in cell biology applications from scientists in tissue engineering, neuroscience, stem cell research, and pharmaceutical compound screening."
According to Dr. Saju Nettikadan, Director of Emerging Technologies (ET), BioForce, “The business development efforts of the ET group include providing technical support to biosensor researchers, developing in-house biosensor products and collaborating with potential biosensor developers in developing commercial products. The company expects to convert the Nano eNabler system into a biosensor production tool as biosensor prototypes evolve into commercial products.”
