Chapter 1: The Promise of Microbots in Medicine

The pursuit of effective and targeted drug delivery remains a key goal in treating various medical conditions. Recent advancements in technology have introduced innovative tools that enhance treatment efficacy. Numerous studies have explored the use of microbots for this purpose, including one notable study I discussed last year featuring microbots known as 'MANiAC'.

Despite their potential as future mechanisms for precise drug delivery, researchers face significant challenges in their production and scalability. Current manufacturing methods are often tedious and inefficient. A commonly utilized technique is ultra-fine 3D printing, specifically the two-photon polymerization method. This approach utilizes two intersecting lasers to trigger polymerization within a synthetic resin.

While this technique allows for the creation of structures with nanometer-level precision, it has its drawbacks. The voxels—essentially the pixels formed during 3D printing—must be cured in a sequential manner. Moreover, the magnetic nanoparticles used in the robots can obstruct light paths during the polymerization process, leading to inconsistencies when high concentrations of these particles are involved.

“We anticipate that advancements from this research, such as the mass production of microrobots and precise electromagnetic operations for stem cell delivery and differentiation, will significantly enhance the effectiveness of targeted precision therapy in the future.”

~ Professor Hongsoo Choi, Lead Researcher

Chapter 2: Overcoming Production Challenges

A dedicated team of researchers, led by scientists from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST) in collaboration with Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital and ETH Zurich, aimed to tackle these production hurdles. Their goal was to manufacture over 100 microrobots per minute that could safely disintegrate within the body.

The innovative method they developed involves flowing a mixture of biodegradable gelatin methacrylate and magnetic nanoparticles into a microfluidic chip. This process is 10,000 times faster than traditional two-photon polymerization, allowing for the efficient production of microrobots. Once created, these microrobots were cultured with human nasal turbinated stem cells to promote adherence.

Traditional stem cell therapies often struggle with precisely delivering cells to targeted locations. However, the stem cell-loaded microrobots demonstrated the ability to navigate accurately to specific sites. This was validated in a test where the microrobot traversed a maze-like microchannel and successfully reached its target. The disintegration of the microrobot was also confirmed.

In tests, the microrobot, equipped with a degrading enzyme, completely disintegrated after six hours of incubation. Following this, the stem cells began to differentiate into nerve cells within approximately 21 days. These results confirmed that the microrobots functioned effectively as targeted precision therapeutic agents, demonstrating both proliferation and differentiation capabilities. Additionally, the microrobots maintained normal electrical and physiological properties.

Complete research findings were published in the Journal of Small.

The first video, How the PillBot™ Micro-Robot Can Revolutionize Endoscopy, features Torrey Smith from Endiatx discussing the transformative potential of micro-robotics in medical applications.

The second video, One Pass Robotic Book System | Tecnau & Horizon, explores advanced robotic systems designed to enhance efficiency in various processes, showcasing the intersection of robotics and technology.