Development of a microfluidic device for interaction with the brain

The brain is one of the most important yet delicate organs in the human body. Its vital role and its inherent vulnerability are the main reasons why a sheltered environment is necessary to preserve physiological functions. A specialised structure, known as the blood-brain barrier (BBB), is in place to ensure that only the right compounds can get in contact with neural tissue. This barrier, however, is the main reason why aggressive pathologies of the brain such as malignant cancers are still uncurable. The purpose of this project is to combine the most recent additive manufacturing techniques (i.e. nano 3D-printing) with a drug-delivery strategy that aims to bypass the BBB completely. The end-product would be a miniaturized catheter that would fill an existing gap in the market for intracerebral infusions. This catheter serves the dual purpose of (i) delivering a drug to a pre-defined diseased region and (ii) sampling the circulating fluid to monitor the condition of the patient. Most of the brain infusions performed today use general catheters or devices meant for other applications. The characterisation of this new design would be able to (i) increase the efficacy of drugs acting on brain tissue and (ii) define a molecular signature of brain cancer. The combination of these results is hoped to increase the survival rate for aggressive primary brain tumours and improve the treatment of many other neurological conditions.