IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v14y2023i1d10.1038_s41467-023-41557-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ultrasound trapping and navigation of microrobots in the mouse brain vasculature

Author

Listed:
  • Alexia Campo Fonseca

    (Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab)

  • Chaim Glück

    (University of Zurich
    Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich)

  • Jeanne Droux

    (Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich
    University Hospital and University of Zurich, and Zurich Neuroscience Center)

  • Yann Ferry

    (Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab)

  • Carole Frei

    (Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab)

  • Susanne Wegener

    (Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich
    University Hospital and University of Zurich, and Zurich Neuroscience Center)

  • Bruno Weber

    (University of Zurich
    Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich)

  • Mohamad El Amki

    (Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, ETH Zurich
    University Hospital and University of Zurich, and Zurich Neuroscience Center)

  • Daniel Ahmed

    (Acoustic Robotics Systems Lab)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexia Campo Fonseca & Chaim Glück & Jeanne Droux & Yann Ferry & Carole Frei & Susanne Wegener & Bruno Weber & Mohamad El Amki & Daniel Ahmed, 2023. "Ultrasound trapping and navigation of microrobots in the mouse brain vasculature," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-41557-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41557-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41557-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-023-41557-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kai Melde & Andrew G. Mark & Tian Qiu & Peer Fischer, 2016. "Holograms for acoustics," Nature, Nature, vol. 537(7621), pages 518-522, September.
    2. Ye Yang & Yaozhang Yang & Dingyuan Liu & Yuanyuan Wang & Minqiao Lu & Qi Zhang & Jiqing Huang & Yongchuan Li & Teng Ma & Fei Yan & Hairong Zheng, 2023. "In-vivo programmable acoustic manipulation of genetically engineered bacteria," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Cornel Dillinger & Nitesh Nama & Daniel Ahmed, 2021. "Ultrasound-activated ciliary bands for microrobotic systems inspired by starfish," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jakub Janiak & Yuyang Li & Yann Ferry & Alexander A. Doinikov & Daniel Ahmed, 2023. "Acoustic microbubble propulsion, train-like assembly and cargo transport," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Ruoqin Zhang & Xichuan Zhao & Jinzhi Li & Di Zhou & Honglian Guo & Zhi-yuan Li & Feng Li, 2024. "Programmable photoacoustic patterning of microparticles in air," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Yurou Jia & Suying Zhang & Xuan Zhang & Houyou Long & Caibin Xu & Yechao Bai & Ying Cheng & Dajian Wu & Mingxi Deng & Cheng-Wei Qiu & Xiaojun Liu, 2024. "Compact meta-differentiator for achieving isotropically high-contrast ultrasonic imaging," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Liang Shen & Zhenhua Tian & Kaichun Yang & Joseph Rich & Jianping Xia & Neil Upreti & Jinxin Zhang & Chuyi Chen & Nanjing Hao & Zhichao Pei & Tony Jun Huang, 2024. "Joint subarray acoustic tweezers enable controllable cell translation, rotation, and deformation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Matthew Stein & Sam Keller & Yujie Luo & Ognjen Ilic, 2022. "Shaping contactless radiation forces through anomalous acoustic scattering," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    6. Mohsen Habibi & Shervin Foroughi & Vahid Karamzadeh & Muthukumaran Packirisamy, 2022. "Direct sound printing," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    7. Zong-Lin Li & Kun Chen & Fei Li & Zhi-Jun Shi & Qi-Li Sun & Peng-Qi Li & Yu-Gui Peng & Lai-Xin Huang & Guang Yang & Hairong Zheng & Xue-Feng Zhu, 2023. "Decorated bacteria-cellulose ultrasonic metasurface," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    8. Z. A. Arnon & S. Piperno & D. C. Redeker & E. Randall & A. V. Tkachenko & H. Shpaisman & O. Gang, 2024. "Acoustically shaped DNA-programmable materials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    9. Antoine Aubret & Quentin Martinet & Jeremie Palacci, 2021. "Metamachines of pluripotent colloids," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    10. Jan Durrer & Prajwal Agrawal & Ali Ozgul & Stephan C. F. Neuhauss & Nitesh Nama & Daniel Ahmed, 2022. "A robot-assisted acoustofluidic end effector," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    11. Mahdi Derayatifar & Mohsen Habibi & Rama Bhat & Muthukumaran Packirisamy, 2024. "Holographic direct sound printing," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    12. Zhiyuan Zhang & Alexander Sukhov & Jens Harting & Paolo Malgaretti & Daniel Ahmed, 2022. "Rolling microswarms along acoustic virtual walls," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    13. Mittal, Prateek & Christopoulos, Giorgos & Subramanian, Sriram, 2024. "Energy enhancement through noise minimization using acoustic metamaterials in a wind farm," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-41557-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.