nanotechnology

How nano roughness could smooth out clotting risks

Nathan Kahl — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 18:39:25 +0000

How nano roughness could smooth out clotting risks Nathan Kahl Thu, 09/05/2024 - 14:39

When doctors and medical technicians place a device in the human body, any number of things can go wrong. Ensuring the materials used in those devices interact appropriately and safely with human tissue is a key component to positive long-term health outcomes.

Ketul Popat, chair bioengineering department.
Photo by Office of University Branding

Ketul Popat, chair of the ��AV Department of Bioengineering and a medical materials expert, has a grant from the National Institutes of Health for approximately $200,000 to address an unintended consequence of device implementation—blood clots.

As many as 6% of the more-than one million Americans who have a stent or heart valve implanted each year face a risk of thrombosis, a potentially deadly condition occurring when a clot blocks a blood vessel. For Popat and his collaborators, it’s not just about what the material is made of, but the nature of the very surface of the material.

But Popat said, “Sometimes we just put materials in the body because they work, knowing they are going to fail in several years and we’ll replace them. So it becomes really important to design the surface of the material of an implant so that when it is in contact with tissue, it is not a mismatch to the structural features of the tissue.”

Our blood’s ability to clot is generally a welcomed response, preventing excessive bleeding following an injury and helping to start and speed the healing process. Of course, this characteristic can also be problematic, resulting in clots that can lead to strokes, heart attacks, and other dangers.

A depiction of a stent in a vein. iStock photo

Popat believes a way to decrease clotting that may occur because of the devices is with surface manipulation, tricking the blood cells, in a sense. “Rough surfaces have different clotting properties than smooth surfaces. Now if we can create rough surfaces that are systematic and repeatable, the cells in the blood will sense these nano features and perform their function differently than if they move past a flat surface.” Popat says he and colleagues believe the nano rough surfaces work well at reducing blood clots because blood cells are used to it–surfaces of the blood vessels they flow through have a similar nanostructure.

Microscopic image of titania nanotubes on the surface of titanium, each measuring approximately 100 nanometers across. Photo provided

In addition to manipulating the surface material, the researchers are coating them with a substance tanfloc, a condensed tannin that is typically used for water purification. Previous studies show that the combination of these techniques–rough nanosurfaces covered in tanfloc–reduces the likelihood of blood clots.

The unpredictability of clotting makes this research particularly important, especially in a world where approximately 20 million people die every year due to cardiovascular disease.

“Some people get a stent, and they are fine for the rest of their lives, and some people get a stent and in the first few years they experience blood clotting. It’s very patient-specific, and unfortunately you just don’t know until you put it in,” Popat said.

Popat said the goal goes beyond simply preventing the clots. “Eventually, we want the cells around the stent to grow on top of the stent and over it. We don’t just want to control clotting, but we also want the stent to truly integrate with, and become part of, the body.”

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New Mason Nanofabrication Facility will help drive innovation in the commonwealth

Colleen Rich — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 19:45:46 +0000

New Mason Nanofabrication Facility will help drive innovation in the commonwealth Colleen Rich Wed, 01/17/2024 - 14:45

Over the past decade, nanotechnology has taken the world by storm. From health care to electronics, it has radically transformed countless industries.

Shawn Wagoner, nanofabrication manager, gives a tour of Mason's new Nanofabrication Facility on the Science and Technology Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

As a result, nanofabrication, the manufacturing of nanoscale structures, is more important than ever, and proper fabrication has requirements, including both sophisticated equipment and a skilled workforce. In response to the rising demand for nanofabrication services, ��AV stands ready to conduct state-of-the-art research and to help train the next generation of innovators with the opening of the new Nanofabrication Facility (NFF) on its Science and Technology Campus.

“The NFF is the only cleanroom facility and resource for partners in Northern Virginia and offers hands-on nanofabrication workforce training in groundbreaking research and emerging research applications that will accelerate growth of high-tech companies,” said Andre Marshall, vice president of research, innovation, and economic impact at Mason. “Mason is committed to providing many opportunities for students to participate in experiential learning, preparing our workforce for the future and readying them to compete on a global scale.”

Mason engineering professor Ethan Ahn sees the new facility as a perfect opportunity to give students the chance to receive hands-on experience in a nanofabrication lab. Ahn is teaching Mason’s first-ever Nanoelectronics Fundamentals course during the Spring 2024 semester, where students will be asked to create electronic devices in the NFF Class 1000 cleanroom.

The Nanofabrication Facility offers hands-on nanofabrication workforce training. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“Hands-on experience in this field is invaluable, especially because students can become familiarized with the equipment that they may encounter in their future careers,” said Ahn, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Mason also launched the Nano-IMAGINE program with the help of a $3.75 million grant from GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Through Nano-IMAGINE, in addition to offering undergraduate and graduate courses, Mason plans to provide two workforce-readiness opportunities in 2024: Nanocamp and Nano Boot Camp.

Nanocamp will allow area high school students to take part in experiments designed by Mason researchers and industry experts that use the cutting-edge equipment found inside the NFF. Nano Boot Camp is designed for those who are searching for a new career path or who would like to gain entry-level skills in an in-demand field. Similar to Nanocamp, participants will learn and apply principles used to build micro and nano devices.

The Nano-IMAGINE courses and programs complement statewide efforts led by the newly established Virginia Alliance for Semiconductor Technology (VAST). VAST is a network of semiconductor, microelectronics, and nanotechnology industries and Virginia colleges and universities. As a member of this consortium, Mason aims to promote VAST by educating NFF boot camp members about opportunities offered by the alliance, such as certificate programs that can help advance their careers in nanofabrication, an essential part of the semiconductor field.

"By investing in top faculty, new programs and facilities, and partnerships, Mason is connecting learning and market advancement to drive innovation for all across the state," said Marshall. “We are leading regional collaborations across sectors to bring a better tomorrow.

Learn more about the Nanofabrication Facility

Did you know...

The Nanofabrication Facility is located on George Mason’s SciTech Campus in Manassas, Virginia. The campus is situated in Innovation Park, with neighbors ranging from start-ups to large size tech companies.

Learn more about SciTech >

��AV Awarded $3.75M Grant to Create Nano-IMAGINE Program

Tama Moni — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 19:49:18 +0000

��AV Awarded $3.75M Grant to Create Nano-IMAGINE Program Tama Moni Tue, 07/26/2022 - 15:49

��AV has received a $3.75M per capita grant from GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. The grant, which is the largest award for GO Virginia funding in Region 7, will allow Mason to establish Nano-IMAGINE, a new program that is a response to the exploding nanofabrication industry. By offering high-tech workforce readiness training and accelerating the launch and advancement of nanotech startups, the program is designed to position Virginia as a global leader in the nanotechnology sector.

The new program is being established in partnership with Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing, College of Science, and Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact.

“This proposal represents one of the most exciting new opportunities for Northern Virginia’s innovation economy,” said Susan Baker, managing director of GO Virginia. “GO Virginia is delighted to partner with ��AV to create high-paying careers and new talent pathways in nanotechnology for the region.”

Nanoscale products, such as chips that provide memory in electronics, are crucial in many areas, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and health. With supply chain issues causing increased demand, nanotech companies across Virginia have intensified the manufacturing of nanoscale structures. In order to ensure the proper fabrication of these technologies, requirements like a controlled cleanroom and a skilled workforce must be met. Mason has stepped up to the plate both with the Nano-IMAGINE program and its recently constructed addition to its Science and Technology (SciTech) Campus: a 1,946 square foot Nanofabrication Facility (NFF) comprised of a class 1000 cleanroom and a class 100,000 characterization lab.

“The NFF is the only cleanroom facility in Northern Virginia that can offer hands-on nanofabrication workforce training and support groundbreaking research and development activities that will spur the formation, advancement, and growth of high-tech companies,” said Andre Marshall, vice president of research, innovation, and economic impact at Mason. “We are proud to be able to provide students with experiential learning opportunities to prepare them for the economy of the future and serve as a regional resource for nanofabrication innovation.”

Nano-IMAGINE’s workforce readiness program will consist of the development and modification of 26 graduate and undergraduate classes at Mason to address nanotechnologies in the life sciences and engineering, a Nano-Cleanroom certificate class, and the formation of a nano-STEM educational boot camp for high school students. Through its efforts, Mason aims to support companies, like Micron, BAE Systems, and GeneSiC with the creation of a talented workforce pipeline.

“Ensuring a strong pool of local STEM talent is essential to maintaining the industry’s technology development and growth,” said Delbert Parks, vice president, and site executive of Micron Technology Virginia. “We are proud to support this new nanotechnology program that will benefit local high school students, including those who are first-generation, the Northern Virginia Community College and Mason, as well as veterans.”

Building a cleanroom with sophisticated tools is often cost-prohibitive to emerging businesses. Furthermore, nano-entrepreneurs are in need of facilities where they can produce novel nanostructures and prototypes. The NFF will be available to external users, such as startup organizations, at competitive market rates. In conjunction with this, Mason’s SciTech Campus is adjacent to the Northern Virginia BioScience Center, a 30,000-square-foot wet lab building that opened in February 2022 and supplies essential commercial lab space.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, who is the chief Senate sponsor of legislation to restore U.S. leadership in semiconductor technology and production and added support to Mason’s initiative, is excited about the opportunities that can be explored through the grant and the fiscal effects on the region and the state at large.

“I was proud to support Mason’s proposal because I know that Northern Virginia’s growing tech corridor needs a skilled, 21st-century workforce to continue to grow,” said Sen. Warner. “I applaud Mason for making strategic investments in our future and working to strengthen Virginia’s reputation as a hub for cutting-edge research and economic growth.”