The cochlea is one of the most challenging places in the body for drug delivery, due to its size and inaccessibility. Drug delivery is only possible through a delicate membrane covered portal: the Round Window Membrane. We make precision microneedles capable of creating controlled perforations on this membrane. Two photon polymerization lithography is used to build 3D polymeric molds with supreme accuracy and precision. These molds are then back-filled electrochemically with copper to produce fully metallic microneedles. These needles are coated with nickel and gold for biocompatibility.
