Table of Contents
Medical micro-robotics is a new discipline that seeks to use miniature sensors and actuators to perform non-invasive diagnosis and treatment inside the human body. The University of Colorado Boulder’s engineering team has created a new kind of small, self-propelled robot that can move through liquid at extraordinary rates and may one day be used to transport medications to the human body’s most difficult-to-reach locations. The microbots are simply delivered via injections or pills making their use safe and non-invasive.
Nanostructure
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Microbots delivered dexamethasone
These microbots are extremely small with each measuring 20 micrometers wide; this is considerably smaller than the width of a strand of human hair. They can move at around 3 millimeters per second which is nearly 9,000 times their length, per minute, making them extremely quick. During the new study which was carried out on lab mice, the team used hundreds of these tiny robots to deliver doses of dexamethasone, a common steroid drug, into the bladders of the mice. The findings point to the potential utility of microrobots in the treatment of bladder disorders and other human illnesses.
The team uses 3D printing-like technology to create its microrobots from materials known as biocompatible polymers. The devices have three tiny fins and resemble miniature rockets. They also have an added bonus. Additionally, each robot has a tiny bubble of trapped air inside of it, similar to what happens when a glass is placed upside-down inside water. The bubbles start to vibrate wildly if the machines are exposed to an acoustic field like the kind used in ultrasonography, pushing the water away and propelling the robots forward.
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Scientists think that this new technology can offer some relief from bladder diseases. The researchers created groups of microrobots in the lab that had dexamethasone at high doses. The bladders of the mice were subsequently filled with them. The result was outstanding. Removing the microrobots from the bladder would probably be difficult because they scattered throughout the organs before adhering to the bladder walls. Once there, over a period of about two days, the microbots gradually discharged dexamethasone.
Clinical significance
Millions of people all over the world suffer from interstitial cystitis, often known as painful bladder syndrome, which can, as its name implies, result in excruciating pelvic pain. The treatment process can also be discomforting; a catheter is used to administer a harsh dexamethasone solution to the bladder and this happens over repeated visits. The advent of this novel technology for administering drugs could ensure a consistent supply of medication that would enable patients to take more medications for longer periods while avoiding frequent hospital visits, and improving patient outcomes.
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Conclusion
There is still more to be done before microrobots can move through actual human bodies. The team’s initial goal is to make them entirely biodegradable. Scientific communities have been quite excited by microscale robots, but more study is required to develop a more efficient product.
References
Lee, J. G., Raj, R. R., Thome, C. P., Day, N. B., Martinez, P., Bottenus, N., Gupta, A., & Shields, C. W. IV. (2023). Bubble-Based Microrobots with Rapid Circular Motions for Epithelial Pinning and Drug Delivery. Small. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202300409
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