Progress in Nanorobotics for Advancing Biomedicine

Nanorobotics, which has long been a fantasy in the realm of science fiction, is now a reality due to the considerable developments in diverse fields including chemistry, materials, physics, information and nanotechnology in the past decades. Not only different prototypes of nanorobots whose sizes are nanoscale are invented for various biomedical applications, but also robotic nanomanipulators which are able to handle nano-objects obtain substantial achievements for applications in biomedicine. The outstanding achievements in nanorobotics have significantly expanded the field of medical robotics and yielded novel insights into the underlying mechanisms guiding life activities, remarkably showing an emerging and promising way for advancing the diagnosis & treatment level in the coming era of personalized precision medicine. In this review, the recent advances in nanorobotics (nanorobots, nanorobotic manipulations) for biomedical applications are summarized from several facets (including molecular machines, nanomotors, DNA nanorobotics, and robotic nanomanipulators), and the future perspectives are also presented.

Visualization of perforin/gasdermin/complement-formed pores in real cell membranes using atomic force microscopy

Different types of pores ubiquitously form in cell membranes, leading to various types of cell death that profoundly influence the fate of inflammation and the disease status. However, these pores have never truly been visualized to date. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), which is emerging as a powerful tool to analyze the mechanical properties of biomolecules and cells, is actually an excellent imaging platform that allows biological samples to be visualized by probing surface roughness at the level of atomic resolution. Here, membrane pore structures were clearly visualized using AFM. This visualization not only describes the aperture and depth of the pore complexes but also highlights differences among the pores formed by perforin and gasdermins in tumor cell membranes and by complement in immune cell membranes. Additionally, this type of visualization also reveals the dynamic process of pore formation, fusion, and repair.

Methods of Micropatterning and Manipulation of Cells for Biomedical Applications

Micropatterning and manipulation of mammalian and bacterial cells are important in biomedical studies to perform in vitro assays and to evaluate biochemical processes accurately, establishing the basis for implementing biomedical microelectromechanical systems (bioMEMS), point-of-care (POC) devices, or organs-on-chips (OOC), which impact on neurological, oncological, dermatologic, or tissue engineering issues as part of personalized medicine. Cell patterning represents a crucial step in fundamental and applied biological studies in vitro, hence today there are a myriad of materials and techniques that allow one to immobilize and manipulate cells, imitating the 3D in vivo milieu. This review focuses on current physical cell patterning, plus chemical and a combination of them both that utilizes different materials and cutting-edge micro-nanofabrication methodologies.