Harbin: chinese scientists have developed a micro robot swimmer complete with claws and a fur that mimics the red blood cell membranesignificantly improving the efficiency of targeted drug delivery in blood vessels, the Xinhua news agency reported.
He magnetic robot it is 20 microns in diameter and has claws inspired by tardigrades, a species of tiny invertebrate. This allows for better navigation through the veins and holds promise for precision medicine, according to the article published in the journal Science Advances.
Swimming microrobots offer promising possibilities for delivering drugs to hard-to-reach body tissues while addressing problems such as intensive blood flow and a limited ability to attach to target sites in blood vessels.
researchers of the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), in collaboration with their counterparts from First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical Universityit was inspired by tardigrades, whose claws can grip plants in water, allowing them to survive in fast-flowing liquids.
The clawed microbot has an outer shell disguised as red blood cell membrane, which improves its adherence to the internal wall of the vessels. The researchers monitored the robot’s activity and dynamics in a rabbit vein and observed highly effective magnetic propulsion even at a high flow rate, the article said.
The findings bring new insights into precision medicine such as the treatment of malignant tumors by significantly improving the efficiency of targeted drug delivery.
