Microrobotics for Precision Biofilm Diagnostics and Treatment

Abstract

Advances in small-scale robotics and nanotechnology are providing previously unimagined opportunities for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches with high precision, control, and efficiency. We designed microrobots for tetherless biofilm treatment and retrieval using iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) with dual catalytic-magnetic functionality as building blocks. We show 2 distinct microrobotic platforms. The first system is formed from NPs that assemble into aggregated microswarms under magnetic fields that can be controlled to disrupt and retrieve biofilm samples for microbial analysis. The second platform is composed of 3-dimensional (3D) micromolded opacifier-infused soft helicoids with embedded catalytic-magnetic NPs that can be visualized via existing radiographic imaging techniques and controlled magnetically inside the root canal, uninterrupted by the soft and hard tissues surrounding the teeth in an ex vivo model. These microrobots placed inside the root canal can remove biofilms and be efficiently guided with microscale precision. The proof-of-concept paradigm described here can be adapted to target difficult-to-reach anatomical spaces in other natural and implanted surfaces in an automated and tether-free manner.

Chemical multiscale robotics for bacterial biofilm treatment

“…81 Moreover, this group also demonstrated that catalytic Fe 3 O 4 NPs assembled into microswarms or embedded in soft helicoids under magnetic fields can be controlled to disrupt and capture biofilms inside the root canal of teeth in an ex vivo model. 82…”

Micro robot as the feature of robotic in healthcare approach from design to application: the State of art and challenges

“…With respect to area of use , there are some area and disease that micro robots can be applied. Robotics in medicine encompasses targeted drug delivery [16], surgery assistance [17], and diagnostic support [18] across various fields are shown in Table 1.…”

Dental Medicine and Engineering Unite to Transform Oral Health Innovations

“…Our efforts are generating affordable and translatable approaches, including ultra-sensitive portable technologies for pathogen detection in saliva, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved nanoparticles that target biofilms in severe caries, and high-precision microrobotics for biofilm disruption and lipid nanoparticle technologies for messenger RNA (mRNA) delivery (leveraged from the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine) to treat oral cancer ( Hwang et al 2019 ; Chen et al 2021 ; Liu et al 2021 ; Babeer et al 2022 ). Discoveries related to the microbiome and host immunity are revealing relationships among systemic diseases, suggesting new, personalized treatments and individualizing oral health care ( Teles et al 2021 ; Bostanci and Belibasakis 2023 ).…”