Medical prototyping using two photon polymerization

Two photon polymerization involves nearly simultaneous absorption of ultrashort laser pulses for selective curing of photosensitive material. This process has recently been used to create small-scale medical devices out of several classes of photosensitive materials, such as acrylate-based polymers, organically-modified ceramic materials, zirconium sol-gels, and titanium-containing hybrid materials. In this review, the use of two photon polymerization for fabrication of several types of small-scale medical devices, including microneedles, artificial tissues, microfluidic devices, pumps, sensors, and valves, from computer models is described. Necessary steps in the development of two photon polymerization as a commercially viable medical device manufacturing method are also considered.