The limited ability of microrobots to assist drugs in entering cells hinders their therapeutic efficacy. To address this, the cancer-targeting molecule folic acid (FA) was introduced to microrobots to promote drug uptake by cancer cells via receptor-ligand-mediated endocytosis. This results in a drug delivery system that can locate lesion areas with magnetic fields and deliver loaded drugs into the cytoplasm through endocytosis.
The team published their findings in the Journal of Cyborg and Bionic Systems on May 5.
Untethered microrobots have shown remarkable achievements in various fields such as minimally invasive surgery, drug delivery, environmental remediation, and tissue engineering. Magnetic field actuation is a widely used method due to its good biosafety, deeper tissue penetration, and high temporal and spatial control. However, practical problems arise when microrobots deliver drugs that may only be able to deliver the drug to the area around the cells but cannot assist drugs to enter cells. This limitation could potentially reduce the effectiveness of the treatment since the drug may not reach the intended target within the cell.
To improve the effective utilization of drugs, microrobots should be equipped with precise targeting capabilities. The researchers introduced folic acid (FA) into the microrobot to promote specific cancer cell targeting ability and drug ingestion by cells. The selective overexpression of the FR on the surface of cancer cells provides FA the ability to promote the uptake of drugs by cancer cells through receptor-ligand-mediated endocytosis.
