Event

PhD Dissertation Defense Announcement: Bailey Felix

Friday, March 13, 2026
11:00 a.m.
Kim Engineering Building (KEB) 1107
Debbie Chu
301 405 8268
dgchu@umd.edu

Title: Direct Laser Writing-Based Soft Robotic Surgical Devices For Endovascular Applications

Committee members:
Dr. Ryan Sochol, Chair
Dr. Jenna Mueller
Dr. Gregg Duncan
Dr. Davis McGregor
Dr. Sudarsanam Babu, Dean's Representative

Abstract:
A variety of endovascular interventions, such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and aneurysm embolization, necessitate the use of guidewire-microcatheter systems to navigate tortuous vascular networks. Unfortunately, these guidewires and microcatheters typically lack effective steering controls, making successful navigation through geometrically complex anatomy challenging, resulting in significant maneuverability constraints. Recent advancements in the area of soft microrobotics could offer a pathway to remotely steerable guidewires and microcatheters at size scales relevant to TACE procedures and aneurysm embolization; however, the manufacturing-induced limitations associated with fabricating such systems have represented a critical hurdle. To overcome this barrier, we present a novel additive nanomanufacturing—or “three-dimensional (3D) nanoprinting”—strategy to achieve steerable soft robotic guidewires and microcatheters that facilitate on-demand regulation of tip deflection at size scales clinically relevant to aneurysm embolization and TACE, ranging from approximately 1–3 Fr (i.e., ⌀ = 333–1000 μm). As an exemplar relevant to 3-Fr microcatheters used for TACE, we 3D-printed a soft microrobotic tip atop multilumen tubing, enabling localized steering control via volumetric-driven inputs while simultaneously facilitating fluidic payload delivery through a central lumen. This soft robotic microcatheter was successfully navigated through a series of increasingly complex vascular phantoms including first- through fourth-order branching, elucidating its potential clinical translatability. By providing a pathway to new classes of soft robotic microsurgical instruments that enable on-demand steerability via fluidic means, the presented strategy offers notable potential for navigating narrow, complex, tortuous, and/or delicate vasculature to enhance the safety and efficacy of endovascular therapy.