A FEAT OF ENGINEERING
Suddenly, the project expanded from an endeavor focused specifically on the effect of delivering careful dosages of molecules to one that rested on the development of cutting edge bio-technology. Given the precision and complexity required for these pumps to function successfully, an entirely new mechanism was needed. This pump had to be reliable, precise, and very, very small. (Pictured: PhD candidate John Ramunas)
“We didn’t want to implant something the size of a backpack,” said Ramunas. “We needed it to be large enough to function, but not so large that it was cumbersome.”
Making something smaller is dramatically more complicated when that something is a remote-controlled, mouse-implantable micro-pump. Into the tiny volume must fit: a battery pack, a container for the molecules, a radio control system, and an antenna —all in safe, implantable housing small enough to be mouse-friendly.
Thus began the project’s true challenge: developing a reliable, implantable micro-pump. A test of innovation and engineering, the team has continued to test, refine, and test again over the past 4 years.
DEVELOPING THE MICROPUMP
The process of developing the micro-pump is a cyclical process of lab design and live testing. The lab allows various pump mechanisms and materials to be attempted and fine-tuned, honing the best possible candidate in both size and efficacy. Live testing is done with a “glowing” solution — mice who successfully receive the substance through the implanted pump literally glow, making observation of the delivery amount and timing plainly obvious.
Once the pump has successfully proven itself, it can be used in a wide range of biomedical applications, not restricted to the study of healing molecules or even aging. The demands of this project – minute size, remote-controlled function, safely implantable — have ushered in the development of a valuable new technology.
ONE PROJECT, MANY LESSONS
This process of testing, development, and more testing continues today. Researchers Blau, Santiago, and Ramunas have been joined over the years by a steady stream of enthusiastic students — twenty of which have already contributed to, and been enriched by, this collaborative project. For Ramunas, it is particularly encouraging to witness this growing interest in research on healthy aging, an area that “is only now becoming mainstream.”
The project has grown significantly in both size and support since its initial seed funding from the Center on Longevity in 2009. The latest efforts have been supported by a substantial Challenge Grant, and now by a Bio-X grant — both programs well known for their facilitation of innovative interdisciplinary initiatives. And while the pace of the research’s progression remains unpredictable, this study has already demonstrated that unpredictable transformations are more than an inevitable part of the scientific process — they can prove to be a vital element in a project’s maturation.
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