Microrobots could be used to treat diseases. Synthetic materials are used to make most of these devices. For the first time, researchers have used lasers to control neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, in fish. Theneutrobots showed they could deliver drugs to precise locations in the body.
Microrobots currently in development for medical applications would need to be injected or eaten. Microrobots are usually removed from the body before they can perform their jobs due to the immune reactions triggered by these tiny objects. Drug delivery that wouldn't set off the immune system could be achieved by using cells already present in the body. White blood cells are good candidates for becoming microrobots because they can pick up dead red blood cells and move through blood vessels into adjacent tissues.
Neutrobots have been guided with lasers in lab dishes. There wasn't enough information on whether this approach will work in animals. They wanted to show the feasibility of light-driven neutrobots in animals.
The researchers used focused laser beams to move the neutrophils. The microrobot can be moved up to a speed of 1.3 m/s, which is three times faster than a neutrophil. The researchers used the optical tweezers to control the function of the immune system. A blood vessel wall was used to move a neutrobot. A plastic nanoparticle was picked up and moved by another person. When the neutrobot was pushed, it engulfed the debris. The neutrophil that wasn't controlled by a laser tried to remove the cellular debris.
The researchers say the study advances the possibilities for targeted drug delivery and precise treatment of diseases.
More information: Optically Manipulated Neutrophils as Native Microcrafts In Vivo, ACS Central Science (2022). DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.2c00468 Journal information: ACS Central Science
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