Array of needle manipulators for biological cell injection

Abstract

A device is provided, comprising a cell trap comprising a plurality of micro-chambers, each micro-chamber configured to hold a cell. The device can further comprise a manipulator array comprising a plurality of manipulators, each manipulator in spatial communication with a respective micro-chamber, wherein each manipulator comprises a needle, a stage, and an actuator, wherein the needle is mounted to the stage, and the actuator is operable to apply force to the stage in a direction to move the needle to penetrate a cell in the respective micro-chamber.

1 . A device comprising:
 a cell trap comprising a plurality of micro-chambers, each micro-chamber configured to hold a cell, and   a manipulator array comprising a plurality of manipulators, each manipulator in spatial communication with a respective micro-chamber, wherein each manipulator comprises a needle, a stage, and an actuator, wherein the needle is mounted to the stage, and the actuator is operable to apply force to the stage in a direction to move the needle to penetrate a cell in the respective micro-chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein each manipulator comprises a plurality of actuators operable to apply a plurality of forces to the stage in a plurality of directions to move the needle. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the manipulator array comprises a plurality of sub-arrays, each sub-array comprising a portion of the plurality of manipulators. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein at least one sub-array of the plurality of manipulators is three-sided. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein at least one sub-array substantially forms a triangle. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , the manipulator array further comprising an interconnect, wherein the interconnect comprises connections to the actuator. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , the manipulator array further comprising a plurality of interconnects, wherein each interconnect comprises connections to the actuator, and wherein each interconnect is associated with a manipulator. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 5 , the interconnect comprising a local interconnect, a transitional interconnect and a universal interconnect, wherein the universal interconnect is connected to the transitional interconnect, and the transitional interconnect is connected to the local interconnect. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the interconnect is located substantially at a side of the manipulator array. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the sub-arrays are arranged to substantially form a hexagon. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the interconnect is located substantially at a periphery of the manipulator array. 
     
     
         12 .- 24 . (canceled)