A team at Purdue University in the USA, which previously announced that it had produced the first protein/silicon biochip, has now developed tiny polymer patterns that might serve to glue protein, DNA or even individual cells to a computer chip. This brings closer the possibility of a successful organic/inorganic hybrid implant.A microfabrication technique normally used for etching electronic circuits is instead used to fashion 'micropatterns' out of polyethylene glycol plastic. Smallest features that can be reproduced by this means are some 5 m, that is about one twentieth as wide as a human hair or as small as some cells.
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