Recent advances in medical applications of MEMS

Silicon microfabrication methods have long been used to develop devices and instrumentation for medical applications. Early work at Stanford University during the seventies led to the development of silicon based microelectrode arrays for neural recording and stimulation. Efforts in the eighties led to the development of small size and low cost pressure sensors for measuring blood pressure. Sensors manufactured by various companies, namely Lucas NovaSensor and Motorola, form the core of many disposable blood pressure monitoring kits ubiquitous to all hospital emergency rooms. Recent developments in MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) have led to further advances with applications in biochemistry and medical diagnostics. Examples include demonstrations of polymerase chain reaction (PCR-the process by which DNA is amplified) on a silicon die and novel DNA detection techniques. Techniques borrowed from the integrated circuit industry have allowed the development and production of MEM devices and transducers in ever smaller size, and consequently larger volumes and lower costs. Such micromachined devices found immediate acceptance among the manufacturers of biomedical instrumentation. For example, disposable blood pressure. Silicon sensors successfully replaced older, strain gauge based transducers. The same microfabrication techniques also allowed the development of novel devices and microinstruments that otherwise would not have been possible, especially in the area of DNA sequencing and analysis. This paper reviews some recent advances in the biomedical and biochemical applications of MEMS technology.