Creating tiny living robots to help deliver drugs into the body

From human lung cells, American scientists created AggreBots - tiny biological robots that can move precisely, opening up medical applications from drug delivery to tissue repair.

AggreBots are microscopic in size and can move in the complex environment of the body in the future - Photo: phys.org

The research, published in the journal Science Advances , marks a turning point in the field of biohybrid robotics.

These robots are called AggreBots, tiny clusters of biological tissue that can merge and arrange into different shapes, allowing precise control over how they move.

This is considered an important step forward in the field of biobots, a type of microscopic robot made from biological materials, which can move independently and perform programmed behaviors.

Biodegradable, biocompatible robots

Researchers have previously used muscle fibers to power biobots, which contract and expand like natural muscles. However, Associate Professor Xi (Charlie) Ren’s team focused on a different mechanism: cilia, tiny, filamentous structures that beat to push fluid, which exist in human lungs and help push out dirt and bacteria.

By combining tissue clusters grown from lung stem cells, some of which contained mutations that left some regions of the flagella immobile, scientists were able to create biobots with precise "motor maps."

This is like adjusting the oars on a boat, removing or changing the position of the oars to direct the movement as desired.

The highlight of AggreBots is the ability to flexibly assemble between flagellated tissue and inactive tissue. Thanks to that, researchers can create robot models with specific locomotion patterns.

According to Associate Professor Victoria Webster-Wood, this method not only brings "a whole new dimension of design" but also ensures that the robots are made from 100% biological materials. That means they are biodegradable, biocompatible, reducing the risk of being used in the human body.

Research and medical potential

The AggreBots open up many important applications. They could become research tools in the field of flagellar pathologies, such as primary ciliary dyskinesia and cystic fibrosis.

In particular, manufacturing from the patient's own cells also offers the opportunity to develop personalized therapy, helping robots deliver drugs to the right place without causing rejection reactions.

Associate Professor Xi Ren emphasized: "In a complex environment like the human body, the ability to move precisely is a key factor. These biorobots not only help us better understand the impact of the environment on health, but can also become a means of transporting drugs directly in the body."

With their combination of modular design, biodegradable materials, and flexible motor control capabilities, AggreBots have the potential to become indispensable tools in modern medicine.

In the future, these tiny living robots could perform sophisticated tasks inside the body, from delivering drugs to diseased cells to repairing damaged tissue, helping to shape a new era of precision and personalized medicine.

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MINH HAI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tao-ra-robot-song-sieu-nho-giup-dua-thuoc-vao-co-the-20250927215029134.htm