AAWSAP DIRD, Biosensors and BioMEMS: A Survey of the Present Field, March 2010

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chemical processes such as separations, reactions, and analysis to be conducted with
very small amounts of sample.
According to a forecast by the Nexus Task Force, the market for BioMEMS is expected
to reach $18 Billion in 2005. The commercial success of these devices and the technical
potential of other BioMEMS has driven research in a number of areas. As a result, over
the past few years, fluidic BioMEMS devices have become the largest and most diverse
applications of MEMS devices.
Fluidic BioMEMS now include:
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Drug-delivering neuroprobes.
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Biosensors (general).
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Bioreactors.
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Cell-handling devices.
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Drug-delivery devices.
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Micro-chromatography systems.
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Microfluidics.
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Molecular detection/handling.
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Neural interface devices.
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Optical/retinal sensing.
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Surgical devices.
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Tissue-handling devices.
There are obviously application overlaps within these devices and some are integrated
with others to create system-level or multi-sensing devices. Applications run the gamut
of the imagination including identification of bacterial or viral agents, drug testing,
home testing, environmental safety and security, and drug-delivery technologies.
DRUG-DELIVERY PUMPS
Drug delivery to the human body for medical therapeutic purposes has long been by
swallowing substances or by injection. However this approach creates rapid rises and
falls in drug concentration in the blood stream because the dose is typically introduced
all at one time. The blood titer of a drug may thus peak at undesirably high levels in an
effort to sustain the drug action over a longer period of time.
Treatment of many medical conditions, such as cancer by chemotherapeutic drugs
would best be accomplished by a steady and long sustained infusion of the drug into
the blood. This would keep the tumor-fighting drug at some optimal concentration and
so make it maximally effective. High levels of chemotherapeutic drug levels in the blood
are toxic and levels that are below some threshold are ineffective.
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