Custom design is our standard
Thanks to our disruptive design method, experience and strong production background we are able to deliver to you a fully customized solution in a very short time.*
*Delivery time from as short as 4 weeks, depending on your priorities and the complexity of your needs.
Below you can find our standard process, which is illustrated by the example of the Mouse Head Fixing Implant A1 E-NB. It is designed for large field of view, 2-photon microscopy in the primary auditory cortex, and simultaneous electrophysiological recording in the nucleus basalis with a 64 channel silicon probe.
1. Contact us and speak about your project
2. Specify your needs:
- the model animal used; you may provide 3D scanned data of the skull
- region(s) of interest (brain atlas coordinates)
- modalities of recordings or/and other functionalities (electrode, fibre optics, microscopy, fMRI, drug delivery, etc.)
- stability and repeatability requirements
- other requirements and accessories (Faraday shielding, protective caps, surgical tools, stereotaxic tools, laser-marked serial numbering of implants, etc. )
3. Design
The specifications of your experimental paradigm are modeled and simulated with our design suite (see Fig.1 and Fig.2), and the desired implant is designed accordingly (see Fig.3 and Fig.4). Our disruptive method takes advantage of the 3D printing technology. Using our design suite, the design process is rapid. And all the technical specifications of the product are predetermined and optimized:
- weight
- balance
- resistance to deformation
- scientific relevance
- ease of implantation and use
At the end of the design process, a design review meeting is held with you.
Fig.1 To start with, the coronal section brain atlas at the nucleus basilis level is scaled and fitted in the 3D model of the mouse skull. The electrode-targeted nucleus basilis is highlighted in red.
Fig.2 The spatial configurations of the experimental setup are modeled. The high-NA, 2-photon microscope objective is positioned over the of the mouse skull above the primary auditory cortex. The electrode is implanted in the nucleus basilis. The electrode orientation is chosen to not to interfere with the huge objective and to satisfy other biological constraints. The fixation system is positioned behind the mouse head at a distance that doesn't block the rotation the objective. The head fixing implant to be designed has to accommodate and protect the electrode, allow the sufficient spatial access of the objective, and connect the mouse head to the fixation system.
Fig.3 The implant designed: Mouse Head Fixing Implant A1 E-NB.
Fig.4 The actual utilization of the head fixating implant is simulated. The electrode is implanted and fixed with dental cement in the highly rigid cone. The 64-channel connector is held by a strong monolithic spring to reduce weight. Faraday shielding protective cap is not shown in the figure. The 2-photon objective is positioned over the cranial window ring over the left auditory cortex. Our Standard Dovetail Fixation system is used to fix the implant.
4. Prototyping
After the review meeting, the design is prototyped in Titanium grade 23 (the best you can have for medical, aeronautical and space applications) on state-of-the-art, ISO-certified production equipments. Ready-to-implant prototypes are then rapidly delivered to you after a quality check.
5. Production
If you are satisfied with the prototypes, we deliver high quality series of your custom-design implant according to your need.
If you are not sure yet that you need this new technology, you may try some of our existing implants off the shelf as "starter kits" from our WEBSHOP, or contact us.