Microrobots Enable Precision Drug Delivery

ETH Zurich researchers have engineered magnetically guided microrobots that can transport and release therapeutic agents precisely at target sites within the body—dissolving once they’ve delivered their cargo. Using a combination of three magnetic navigation strategies, these nanoscale capsules have been steered through realistic vessel models and large-animal vasculature with over 95% delivery accuracy. They can carry a range of drugs, from thrombolytics to antibiotics and oncology agents, and are trackable via medical imaging. The technology aims to minimize systemic side effects and enable highly targeted therapies for conditions like stroke, localized infections, or tumors—with clinical trials anticipated next.

"Because the vessels in the human brain are so small, there is a limit to how big the capsule can be," explains Fabian Landers  , lead author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher at the Multi-Scale Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich. "The technical challenge is to ensure that a capsule this small also has sufficient magnetic properties."

Transcript

00:00:01 To reach hard to access sites, drugs are given in high doses, flooding the whole body and causing side effects. Encapsulating the drug and releasing it locally could be a more effective approach. With this goal, scientists at ETH Zurich developed a micro robotic drug delivery platform. This system releases a drug-loaded micro robot inside the body where external electromagnets guide it through complex

00:00:28 vascule to the target. There the micro robot is dissolved releasing the drug where it is actually needed. This results in lower drug doses with dramatically reduced side effects and the potential to treat patients with previously incurable diseases.