American scientists have developed ultra-small hybrid biological robots capable of delivering chemotherapy directly to the lungs to treat lung metastases.
According to ScienceAlert, a research team at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has spent five years researching and developing a ultra-small hybrid biological robot based on green microalgae for medical use.
Microalgae robot aids in lung cancer treatment – (Photo: Fangyu Zhang and Zhengxing Li)
Conventional ultra-small synthetic robots are typically made from hard metal or polymer structures, making them difficult to fabricate. They cannot access certain organs and tissues and may also pose toxicity risks to humans.
Microalgae alleviate these concerns as they can use flagella to swim to organs like the lungs. They are less toxic than other microorganisms and are cheaper and easier to produce.
The NP(DOX) algae robots are a combination of live green microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, commonly used in pharmaceuticals, and nano drug carriers containing the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin covered by red blood cell membranes.
These membranes act as a natural camouflage layer to enhance the biocompatibility of the ultra-small robots and prevent them from being attacked by the immune system.
Green microalgae can swim in the human body – (Photo: CSIRO).
The research team tested the NP(DOX) algae robots on mice with lung metastases. They directed the robots to deliver the drug directly to the lungs, minimizing side effects on other organs. Upon reaching the lungs, the robots can help distribute the drug through lung tissue.
These robots have helped shrink tumors in the lungs and extended the survival rate of treated mice by 40%.
Ultimately, immune cells will break down the robots into non-toxic components and eliminate them from the body.
According to the research team, it will take some time before ultra-small algae robots can appear in clinics. However, combining live algae with cell membrane-coated nanoparticles for drug delivery could lay the groundwork for biotechnological cancer treatments.
