Please Note: You are viewing the unstyled version of Piezo Technologies. Either your browser does not support CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) or it is disabled. As a result, much of this website will not look the way it was intended, although all of its contents will be accessible to you. For more information, visit our Browser Support page.

Piezo Technologies is Awarded a Highly Sought-After NIST ATP Grant to Develop Minimally Invasive Surgery Devices


Since the 1990 inception of the ATP program, this marks only the third ATP grant awarded to an Indiana-based company as the primary sponsor, and after a five year ATP drought for Indiana businesses, this grant also marks the first ever ATP grant awarded to an Indiana small business.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Piezo Technologies has been awarded a significant national grant to develop "High Power Piezoelectric Ceramics and Novel Ultrasound Therapeutic Devices for Minimally Invasive Surgery." The grant was awarded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), through their Advanced Technology Program (ATP). This is a highly sought after grant, with only 602 being awarded since the program's inception in 1990. The ATP only funds high-risk R&D projects that promise significant commercial payback and widespread benefits for the nation. Piezo Technologies and its participating subcontractors will receive $2,000,000 from NIST over the three-year life of the project. This is the maximum amount of an ATP grant. The total project cost is expected to be more than $2,500,000.

An intracardiac imaging array device.

An intracardiac imaging array device. The therapeutic arrays proposed for this project would be similar in appearance, but would be used inside small body cavities to destroy diseased tissue. An actual array subassembly (see photo 2) would be found inside the tip of this device. (high resolution images available)

The ultimate goal of the project is to develop minimally invasive surgery devices that would be used to treat a wide range of disorders, including Cardiac Arrhythmia, Pancreatic Cancer, Liver Cancer, Barrett's Esophagus, Bladder Cancer, and Liver Tumors. The project will be focused on developing miniaturized medical devices that can be introduced into the body through a transarterial catheter, laproscopic or transesophageal device, eliminating the need for more invasive surgery procedures. In many cases, the disorders in question are difficult or even impossible to treat, but the miniature devices proposed in this project could be used inside small body cavities to destroy diseased tissues and/or provide real-time imaging to guide treatment procedures.

The minimally invasive surgery techniques that would be made possible by these proposed devices would dramatically reduce healthcare expenses, while saving lives or improving the quality of life for millions of people in the US and beyond. The potential US market value for these devices is nearly $944,000,000 annually. The potential world market is in excess of $1.8 Billion. If successful, this project can have a significant effect on the economy of Indiana, through the creation of new high-technology jobs, providing opportunities for many Indiana graduates who must currently seek employment elsewhere. Benefits will also be seen in the broader US economy, due to reductions in healthcare expenses.

This project will involve both divisions of Piezo Technologies. The Keramos division, Indianapolis, IN, will focus on the development of new piezoelectric ceramic materials that will produce several times more energy than any piezoelectric material that currently exists. This material will then be used by the Etalon division, Lebanon, IN, to develop miniaturized high power ultrasonic transducers and arrays. A power system to drive these miniature devices will also be developed as part of this research. Subcontractors for this project include, Purdue University's School of Materials Engineering, West Lafayette, IN (for evaluation), and Applied Concepts Inc., Portland, OR (for system design assistance).

A 64-element therapeutic array subassembly.

This 64-element array subassembly is an example of what could be found inside the tip of the device in photo 1. The gold-colored area is actually sliced into 64 individual transducers, which together, create a therapeutic array. (high resolution images available

Piezo Technologies' Director of Transducer Engineering, Andreas Hadjicostis, PhD, is the grant's Principal Investigator and will be leading the effort. Dr. Hadjicostis is one of the world's leading authorities on medical transducers and imaging arrays. He has developed probes for brain neural recording, and ultrasound intracardiac imaging arrays, he has been published numerous times, and he holds 6 patents, all related to ultrasonic transducers and arrays. Joining Dr. Hadjicostis as Co-Investigators are De Liufu, PhD, William Shelley, and Michael Phillips. Contributors include, Piezo Technologies' President, Adam Morris, as well as Jared Brosch, Craig Miller, Harry Ni, and John Jaqua. Rodney Rhoades, PhD, from Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, will serve as a consultant.

Dr. Hadjicostis is enthusiastic about this project and explained, "This grant will accelerate the progress on this research by 10 to 15 years. The concepts of the research are sound and although there are many inherent risks and challenges, by building off of the technologies that already exist, this project is very feasible. Piezo Technologies has assembled a team of researchers and engineers that is second to none in the field of piezoelectric ceramics, ultrasonic transducers, and arrays. The next few years are going to be very exciting." Beyond the tremendous medical benefits of the proposed technology, the successful completion of this project will provide new piezoelectric ceramic materials that could revolutionize industrial and military applications for sensors, actuators, sonar and more.

Piezo Technologies received an Indiana 21st Century Research & Technology Fund Grant in 2001 to develop advanced high-temperature piezoelectric ceramics, and the company is a founding member of an initiative to make Central Indiana an Ultrasonics Center of Excellence. The company employs more than 70 people at its 2 locations. Both Piezo Technologies divisions, Keramos and Etalon, primarily develop products for the medical and nondestructive testing industries. Applications include imaging, diagnostics, HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound), air-in-line (AIL) sensors, Doppler probes, and more. Keramos develops and manufactures advanced piezoelectric ceramic materials, and Etalon designs and manufactures custom ultrasonic transducers and arrays for use in various applications. Etalon also provides complete OEM contract assembly and manufacturing services. Both divisions serve all of North America, as well as international markets. Piezo Technologies is a registered trade name of Piezotech, LLC.

October 8, 2002


Top of Page