Soft microrobots demonstrate potential for targeted drug delivery
2021-08-11 00:00:33
MSRAL creates tiny tumbling soft robots that can be controlled with rotating magnetic fields. In a newly-published study, the robots showed that they can climb slopes, tumble upstream against fluid flow, and deposit substances at precise locations in neural tissue. These robots are called “magnetically aligned nanorods in alginate capsules” (MANiACs), and in the future they may be part of an advanced arsenal of drug delivery technologies at doctors’ disposal. A new study in open-access journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI is the first to investigate how such tiny robots might perform as drug delivery vehicles in neural tissue. The study finds that when controlled using a magnetic field, the tiny tumbling soft robots can move against fluid flow, climb slopes and move about neural tissues, such as the spinal cord, and deposit substances at precise locations. This story has been picked up by many additional news outlets, such as:
- Frontiers Science News: Tiny `maniac’ robots could deliver drugs directly to central nervous system
- MSN.com: MANiACs robot could deliver drugs in targeted places in humans
- New Atlas: MANiAC microbots may one deliver drugs within the nervous system
- Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine: MANiAC microbots may one deliver drugs within
- the nervous system
- The Medical News: Tiny tumbling soft robots could precisely deliver drugs to central nervous system
- Tech Explore: Tiny ‘maniac’ robots could deliver drugs directly to central nervous system
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