Nanofiber-based biodegradable millirobot with controllable anchoring and adaptive stepwise release functions

Rong Tan, Xiong Yang, Haojian Lu, Liu Yang, Tieshan Zhang, Jiaqi Miao, Yu Feng, Yajing Shen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A millirobot that can work in the alimentary tract is of great interest for future biomedical treatments, but challenges remain for the robot in the integration of multiple drugs, effective locomotion under the harsh in-body environment, controllable anchoring on the desired area, and adaptive stepwise release. Here, we report a nanofiber-based biodegradable millirobot, named Fibot, fabricated by integrating magnetic-assisted molding and electrospin-assisted assembling. By adjusting the material components of Fibot during fabrication, we can program the adaptive release of different drugs responding to variations in acidic physiological concentrations. Moreover, the multi-legged design gives it an effective locomotive ability even in the harsh in-body environment. We demonstrate locomotion abilities in the GI tract, desired-region anchoring, and multiple-drug stepwise release in a rabbit model. This research will shed new light on millirobot development and promote the realization of untethered, biodegradable, functional, and environmental adaptive devices to be implemented in various biomedical applications.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1277-1295
JournalMatter
Volume5
Issue number4
Online published25 Feb 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Apr 2022

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (61922093, U1813211), Shenzhen Key Basic Research Project (SGDX20201103093003017, JCYJ20200109114827177), and Hong Kong RGC General Research Fund (CityU 11216421).

Research Keywords

  • drug delivery
  • intestine anchoring
  • magnetic millirobot
  • stepwise release
  • multi-legged robot
  • pH-regulated degradation

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