Science fiction has often depicted microscopic robots, but these tiny machines have become a reality with a wide range of real-world applications such as disease prevention and building repair.
A Canadian research team is now focusing on using these small robots to target liver cancer in various fields. They are working on using them in conjunction with MRI equipment to treat diseases (source).
A series of small biocompatible robots, made of magnetizable iron oxide nanoparticles guided by an external magnetic field, could potentially deliver medical care in a highly targeted manner.
Despite the potential of this technology, it faces a major technical challenge. The gravity of these microrobots exceeds the magnetic force, limiting their guidance if the tumor is located higher than the injection site.
To address this challenge, Dr. Jill Soules, a researcher at the CHUM Research Center at the University of Montreal, developed an algorithm that combines gravity and magnetic navigation forces to guide the microrobots into the arterial branches that feed the tumor.
This research has the potential to change the way liver cancer is treated with radiation therapy, which is the most common type of cancer causing 700,000 deaths annually worldwide.
Dr. Soulez emphasized the advantages of the magnetic resonance navigation technique, indicating that the tumor is better visualized on MRI than on X-ray.
In an experiment using pigs to recreate anatomical conditions, the researchers successfully navigated the hepatic artery branches of the animals and arrived at their destination using the microrobots.
Furthermore, using an anatomical atlas of the human liver, the researchers were able to simulate microrobot maneuvers on 19 patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization, finding that in more than 95% of cases, the location of the tumors matched the navigation algorithm to reach the targeted tumor.
Despite these significant advances, clinical application of this technology is still in the distant future, as artificial intelligence models need further training and improvements for real-time navigation of microrobots to the liver.
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
