Microrobots facilitate targeted therapy due to their small size, minimal invasiveness, and precise wireless control. A degradable hyperthermia microrobot (DHM) with a 3D helical structure is developed, enabling actively controlled drug delivery, release, and hyperthermia therapy. The microrobot is made of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) and pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) and contains magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MNPs) and 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU). Its locomotion is remotely and precisely controlled by a rotating magnetic field (RMF) generated by an electromagnetic actuation system. Drug‐free DHMs reduce the viability of cancer cells by elevating the temperature under an alternating magnetic field (AMF), a hyperthermic effect. 5‐FU is released from the proposed DHMs in normal‐, high‐burst‐, and constant‐release modes, controlled by the AMF. Finally, actively controlled drug release from the DHMs in normal‐ and high‐burst‐release mode results in a reduction in cell viability. The reduction in cell viability is of greater magnitude in high‐burst‐ than in normal‐release mode. In summary, biodegradable DHMs have potential for actively controlled drug release and hyperthermia therapy.
Robotic magnetic manipulation systems offer a wide range of potential benefits in medical fields, such as precise and selective manipulation of magnetically responsive instruments in difficult‐to‐reach vessels and tissues. However, more preclinical/clinical studies are necessary before robotic magnetic interventional systems can be widely adopted. In this study, a clinically translatable, electromagnetically controllable microrobotic interventional system (ECMIS) that assists a physician in remotely manipulating and controlling microdiameter guidewires in real time, is reported. The ECMIS comprises a microrobotic guidewire capable of active magnetic steering under low‐strength magnetic fields, a human‐scale electromagnetic actuation (EMA) system, a biplane X‐ray imaging system, and a remote guidewire/catheter advancer unit. The proposed ECMIS demonstrates targeted real‐time cardiovascular interventions in vascular phantoms through precise and rapid control of the microrobotic guidewire under EMA. Further, the potential clinical effectiveness of the ECMIS for real‐time cardiovascular interventions is investigated through preclinical studies in coronary, iliac, and renal arteries of swine models in vivo, where the magnetic steering of the microrobotic guidewire and control of other ECMIS modules are teleoperated by operators in a separate control booth with X‐ray shielding. The proposed ECMIS can help medical physicians optimally manipulate interventional devices such as guidewires under minimal radiation exposure.
Cell therapy refers to a treatment that involves the delivery of cells or cellular material by means of injection, grafting, or implantation in order to replace damaged tissue and restore...
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