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Abstract
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Manipulation and navigation of micro
and nanoswimmers in different
fluid environments can be achieved by chemicals, external fields,
or even motile cells. Many researchers have selected magnetic fields
as the active external actuation source based on the advantageous
features of this actuation strategy such as remote and spatiotemporal
control, fuel-free, high degree of reconfigurability, programmability,
recyclability, and versatility. This review introduces fundamental
concepts and advantages of magnetic micro/nanorobots (termed here
as “MagRobots”) as well as basic knowledge of magnetic
fields and magnetic materials, setups for magnetic manipulation, magnetic
field configurations, and symmetry-breaking strategies for effective
movement. These concepts are discussed to describe the interactions
between micro/nanorobots and magnetic fields. Actuation mechanisms
of flagella-inspired MagRobots (i.e., corkscrew-like motion and traveling-wave
locomotion/ciliary stroke motion) and surface walkers (i.e., surface-assisted
motion), applications of magnetic fields in other propulsion approaches,
and magnetic stimulation of micro/nanorobots beyond motion are provided
followed by fabrication techniques for (quasi-)spherical, helical,
flexible, wire-like, and biohybrid MagRobots. Applications of MagRobots
in targeted drug/gene delivery, cell manipulation, minimally invasive
surgery, biopsy, biofilm disruption/eradication, imaging-guided delivery/therapy/surgery,
pollution removal for environmental remediation, and (bio)sensing
are also reviewed. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives
for the development of magnetically powered miniaturized motors are
discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaijuan Zhou
- Center for Advanced Functional Nanorobots, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technicka 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Carmen C Mayorga-Martinez
- Center for Advanced Functional Nanorobots, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technicka 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Salvador Pané
- Multi-Scale Robotics Lab (MSRL), Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS), ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Martin Pumera
- Center for Advanced Functional Nanorobots, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technicka 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic.,Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, No. 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, CZ-613 00 Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea.,Future Energy and Innovation Laboratory, Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 656/123, Brno CZ-612 00, Czech Republic
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Zhang H, Li Z, Gao C, Fan X, Pang Y, Li T, Wu Z, Xie H, He Q. Dual-responsive biohybrid neutrobots for active target delivery. Sci Robot 2021; 6:6/52/eaaz9519. [PMID: 34043546 DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.aaz9519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 56.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Swimming biohybrid microsized robots (e.g., bacteria- or sperm-driven microrobots) with self-propelling and navigating capabilities have become an exciting field of research, thanks to their controllable locomotion in hard-to-reach areas of the body for noninvasive drug delivery and treatment. However, current cell-based microrobots are susceptible to immune attack and clearance upon entering the body. Here, we report a neutrophil-based microrobot ("neutrobot") that can actively deliver cargo to malignant glioma in vivo. The neutrobots are constructed through the phagocytosis of Escherichia coli membrane-enveloped, drug-loaded magnetic nanogels by natural neutrophils, where the E. coli membrane camouflaging enhances the efficiency of phagocytosis and also prevents drug leakage inside the neutrophils. With controllable intravascular movement upon exposure to a rotating magnetic field, the neutrobots could autonomously aggregate in the brain and subsequently cross the blood-brain barrier through the positive chemotactic motion of neutrobots along the gradient of inflammatory factors. The use of such dual-responsive neutrobots for targeted drug delivery substantially inhibits the proliferation of tumor cells compared with traditional drug injection. Inheriting the biological characteristics and functions of natural neutrophils that current artificial microrobots cannot match, the neutrobots developed in this study provide a promising pathway to precision biomedicine in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyue Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing (Ministry of Education), Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Zesheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing (Ministry of Education), Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Changyong Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Xinjian Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Yuxin Pang
- Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Tianlong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Zhiguang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing (Ministry of Education), Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.
| | - Hui Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Qiang He
- Key Laboratory of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing (Ministry of Education), Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.
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3
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Haptic-Based Manipulation Scheme of Magnetic Nanoparticles in a Multi-Branch Blood Vessel for Targeted Drug Delivery. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:mi9010014. [PMID: 30393293 PMCID: PMC6187296 DOI: 10.3390/mi9010014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Revised: 12/25/2017] [Accepted: 12/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Magnetic drug targeting is a promising technique that can deliver drugs to the diseased region, while keeping the drug away from healthy parts of body. Introducing a human in the control loop of a targeted drug delivery system and using inherent bilateralism of a haptic device at the same time can considerably improve the performance of targeted drug delivery systems. In this paper, we suggest a novel intelligent haptic guidance scheme for steering a number of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) using forbidden region virtual fixtures and a haptic rendering scheme with multi particles. Forbidden region virtual fixtures are a general class of guidance modes implemented in software, which help a human-machine collaborative system accomplish a specific task by constraining a movement into limited regions. To examine the effectiveness of our proposed scheme, we implemented a magnetic guided drug delivery system in a virtual environment using a physics-based model of targeted drug delivery including a multi-branch blood vessel and realistic blood dynamics. We performed user studies with different guidance modes: unguided, semi virtual fixture and full virtual fixture modes. We found out that the efficiency of targeting was significantly improved using the forbidden region virtual fixture and the proposed haptic rendering of MNPs. We can expect that using intelligent haptic feedback in real targeted drug delivery systems can improve the targeting efficiency of MNPs in multi-branch vessels.
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Kumar A, Tan A, Wong J, Spagnoli JC, Lam J, Blevins BD, G N, Thorne L, Ashkan K, Xie J, Liu H. Nanotechnology for Neuroscience: Promising Approaches for Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Brain Activity Mapping. ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS 2017; 27:1700489. [PMID: 30853878 PMCID: PMC6404766 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201700489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Unlocking the secrets of the brain is a task fraught with complexity and challenge - not least due to the intricacy of the circuits involved. With advancements in the scale and precision of scientific technologies, we are increasingly equipped to explore how these components interact to produce a vast range of outputs that constitute function and disease. Here, an insight is offered into key areas in which the marriage of neuroscience and nanotechnology has revolutionized the industry. The evolution of ever more sophisticated nanomaterials culminates in network-operant functionalized agents. In turn, these materials contribute to novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, including drug delivery, neuroprotection, neural regeneration, neuroimaging and neurosurgery. Further, the entrance of nanotechnology into future research arenas including optogenetics, molecular/ion sensing and monitoring, and piezoelectric effects is discussed. Finally, considerations in nanoneurotoxicity, the main barrier to clinical translation, are reviewed, and direction for future perspectives is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil Kumar
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
| | - Aaron Tan
- UCL Medical School, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom
| | - Joanna Wong
- Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London,London, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Clayton Spagnoli
- Department of Chemistry, Bio-Imaging Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - James Lam
- UCL Medical School, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom
| | - Brianna Diane Blevins
- Department of Chemistry, Bio-Imaging Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Natasha G
- UCL Medical School, University College London (UCL), London, United Kingdom
| | - Lewis Thorne
- Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
| | - Keyoumars Ashkan
- Department of Neurosurgery, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jin Xie
- Department of Chemistry, Bio-Imaging Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Hong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
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Yu J, Xu T, Lu Z, Vong CI, Zhang L. On-Demand Disassembly of Paramagnetic Nanoparticle Chains for Microrobotic Cargo Delivery. IEEE T ROBOT 2017. [DOI: 10.1109/tro.2017.2693999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Martel S. Swimming microorganisms acting as nanorobots versus artificial nanorobotic agents: A perspective view from an historical retrospective on the future of medical nanorobotics in the largest known three-dimensional biomicrofluidic networks. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2016; 10:021301. [PMID: 27158285 PMCID: PMC4841799 DOI: 10.1063/1.4945734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The vascular system in each human can be described as a 3D biomicrofluidic network providing a pathway close to approximately 100 000 km in length. Such network can be exploited to target any parts inside the human body with further accessibility through physiological spaces such as the interstitial microenvironments. This fact has triggered research initiatives towards the development of new medical tools in the form of microscopic robotic agents designed for surgical, therapeutic, imaging, or diagnostic applications. To push the technology further towards medical applications, nanotechnology including nanomedicine has been integrated with principles of robotics. This new field of research is known as medical nanorobotics. It has been particularly creative in recent years to make what was and often still considered science-fiction to offer concrete implementations with the potential to enhance significantly many actual medical practices. In such a global effort, two main strategic trends have emerged where artificial and synthetic implementations presently compete with swimming microorganisms being harnessed to act as medical nanorobotic agents. Recognizing the potentials of each approach, efforts to combine both towards the implementation of hybrid nanorobotic agents where functionalities are implemented using both artificial/synthetic and microorganism-based entities have also been initiated. Here, through the main eras of progressive developments in this field, the evolutionary path being described from some of the main historical achievements to recent technological innovations is extrapolated in an attempt to provide a perspective view on the future of medical nanorobotics capable of targeting any parts of the human body accessible through the vascular network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Martel
- NanoRobotics Laboratory, Department of Computer and Software Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal , Montréal, Québec H3T 1J4, Canada
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Pedram MZ, Shamloo A, Alasty A, Ghafar-Zadeh E. MRI-guided epilepsy detection. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2016; 2015:4001-4. [PMID: 26737171 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2015.7319271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
One of the most common neurological brain disorder is epilepsy that happen as an abrupt seizure. Around 30% of patients with epilepsy resist to all forms of medical treatments and, therefore, the removal of epileptic brain tissue is the only solution to get these patients free from chronical seizures. Discovering the epileptic region is a first key into the treatment. In this paper, we introduced a method for epilepsy detection. In this method superparamagnetic nanoparticle, (SPMN) is used as a sensing material in order to investigate the epileptic area. Based on the magnetic field, first they are crossed through the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB). They can cross the blood-brain barrier into the brain by means of magnetic forces. In this study, the optimal force for crossing to the brain and nanoparticles aggregation by means of MRI magnetic field for crossing and weak magnetic field inside the brain have been considered. Nanoparticles aggregation can be used as a marker to increase the contrast of MRI images in the epileptic brain area.
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