A method of controlling a needle actuator to interact with a cell is provided, the method comprising: providing an actuator comprising a tower, a stage and a needle, wherein the needle is mounted on the stage; applying an electrostatic potential between the tower and the stage to retract the needle; moving the actuator towards the cell; reducing the potential so as to allow the stage and needle to move towards the cell; applying calibration data to detect when the needle has pierced the cell; and reducing the potential further once it has been detected that the needle has pierced the cell. The cell can be a biological cell. The needle can be a micro-needle and the stage can be a micro-stage.

Disclosed herein are novel 3D microelectrode arrays (3D MEA) that include a substrate body (e.g. chip), microneedles, traces, and a well, wherein the 3D MEA provides for transfer of electrical signals on one side of the substrate body to the other side of the substrate body. Methods for using 3D MEAs to grow electrogenic cells and obtain electrophysiological signals are disclosed as well. Fabrication techniques for producing the 3D MEAs are also disclosed.

Method and arrangement for assembling one or more microchips (415; 615; 715; 815; 915; 1015) into one or more holes (422; 722), respectively, in a substrate surface (421; 721) of a separate receiving substrate (420; 720; 820; 1020). The holes (422; 722) of the substrate is for microchip insertion out-of-plane in relation to said substrate surface. Each of said microchips is provided with a ferromagnetic layer (213; 613) of ferromagnetic material. The microchips are placed (503) on said substrate surface (421; 721) and it is applied and moved (504) one or more magnetic fields affecting said ferromagnetic layer (213; 613) of each microchip such that the microchips thereby become out-of-plane oriented in relation to said substrate surface (421; 721) and move over the substrate surface (421; 721) until assembled into said holes (422; 722).

A method of controlling a needle actuator to interact with a cell is provided, the method comprising: providing an actuator comprising a tower, a stage and a needle, wherein the needle is mounted on the stage; applying an electrostatic potential between the tower and the stage to retract the needle; moving the actuator towards the cell; reducing the potential so as to allow the stage and needle to move towards the cell; applying calibration data to detect when the needle has pierced the cell; and reducing the potential further once it has been detected that the needle has pierced the cell. The cell can be a biological cell. The needle can be a micro-needle and the stage can be a micro-stage.

Provided are a transdermal absorption sheet capable of achieving control of the dissolution rate and suppression of diffusion of a drug, and a method of producing the same. A transdermal absorption sheet includes a sheet portion, and a plurality of needle-like protruding portions formed by a plurality of frustum portions arranged on the sheet portion and needle portions arranged on the frustum portions, in which at least one of the needle-like protruding portions has a cavity portion extending from the sheet portion to the frustum portion.

A transdermal administration device packaged body includes a transdermal administration device including an administration member housed in a container, the administration member having at least one projection protruding from a first surface of a substrate, and an outer package which houses the transdermal administration device and has a bag form including a front component and a rear component. The front component is positioned on a first surface side of the substrate, the rear component is positioned on a second surface side opposite to the first surface side of the substrate, and the front component has an opening member configured to be pulled open to open the outer package.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of neural probes from a silicon wafer in which after neural probes are formed on one side of a silicon wafer, the other side of the silicon wafter is subject to a dicing process that separates and adjusts the thickness of the neural probes.

Methods for mass production of new microfluidic devices are described. The microfluidic devices may include an array of micro-needles with open channels in fluid communication with multiple reservoirs located within a substrate that supports the micro-needles. The micro-needles are configured so as to sufficiently penetrate the skin in order to collect or sample bodily fluids and transfer the fluids to the reservoirs. The micro-needles may also deliver medicaments into or below the skin.

A product includes an elongated carbon-containing pillar having a bottom and a tip opposite the bottom. The width of the pillar measured 1 nm below the tip is less than 700 nm. A method includes masking a carbon-containing single crystal for defining masked regions and unmasked regions on the single crystal. The method also includes performing a plasma etch for removing portions of the unmasked regions of the single crystal, thereby defining a pillar in each unmasked region, and performing a chemical etch on the pillars at a temperature between 1200° C. and 1600° C. for selectively reducing a width of each pillar.

The present invention relates to a micro-needle (7; 8; 9) for the transdermal administration of active molecules and/or for the sampling of biological fluids. The micro-needle (7; 8; 9) is made of polymeric material through photolithography. A cavity is defined in the micro-needle (7; 8; 9).

The present invention further relates to a method for obtaining through photolithography at least one micro-needle (7; 8; 9) for the transdermal administration of active molecules and/or for the sampling of biological fluids. A photo-cross linking polymer is exposed in liquid phase to an energy radiation causing the hardening thereof. A photolithographic mask (1; 2) is interposed between the source of the energy radiation and the photo-cross linking polymer. The photolithographic mask (1; 2) is configured in a manner such to generate in the photo-cross linking polymer a peripheral shadow area, a central shadow area and a lighting area confined between the peripheral shadow area and the central shadow area.

The method according to this invention is aimed at obtaining a micro-needle (7; 8; 9) for the transdermal administration of active molecules and/or for the sampling of biological fluids which shows the peculiar characteristic of being hollow and which is manufactured by means of a single photolithography operation, thus avoiding the use of additional processing.