Ultrasound trapping and navigation of microrobots in the mouse brain vasculature

Alexia Campo Fonseca, Chaim Glück, Jeanne Droux, Yann Ferry, Carole Frei, Susanne Wegener, Bruno Weber, Mohamad El Amki () and Daniel Ahmed ()
Additional contact information
Alexia Campo Fonseca: Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab
Chaim Glück: University of Zurich
Jeanne Droux: Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich
Yann Ferry: Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab
Carole Frei: Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab
Susanne Wegener: Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich
Bruno Weber: University of Zurich
Mohamad El Amki: Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich
Daniel Ahmed: Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract The intricate and delicate anatomy of the brain poses significant challenges for the treatment of cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, precise local drug delivery in hard-to-reach brain regions remains an urgent medical need. Microrobots offer potential solutions; however, their functionality in the brain remains restricted by limited imaging capabilities and complications within blood vessels, such as high blood flows, osmotic pressures, and cellular responses. Here, we introduce ultrasound-activated microrobots for in vivo navigation in brain vasculature. Our microrobots consist of lipid-shelled microbubbles that autonomously aggregate and propel under ultrasound irradiation. We investigate their capacities in vitro within microfluidic-based vasculatures and in vivo within vessels of a living mouse brain. These microrobots self-assemble and execute upstream motion in brain vasculature, achieving velocities up to 1.5 µm/s and moving against blood flows of ~10 mm/s. This work represents a substantial advance towards the therapeutic application of microrobots within the complex brain vasculature.

Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41557-3 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-41557-3

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41557-3

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().