Tiny robots small enough to be injected into the human body have been hailed as a potential breakthrough in the battle to cure cancer.
Known as “biohybrids,” the microbots can be controlled remotely to deliver life-saving drugs directly to affected areas for maximum efficiency.
They are made from biological cells that are engineered with additional features so they can be guided through the bloodstream.
Microscopic spirulina algae are fused with magnetic particles and have been shown to carry cancer-fighting drugs straight to tumors.
Professor Kostas Kostarelos is part of the University of Manchester team that developed the technology.
He said: “Creating robotic systems which can be propelled and guided in the body has been and still is a holy grail in the field of delivery system engineering.”
The hybrid robots are even able to sense changes in the body to help in diagnosing illnesses as soon as symptoms arise.
Scientists’ ability to control the movement of the algae is based on the cells’ natural makeup, Professor Li Zhang from the Chinese University of Hong Kong wrote in the Science Robotics study.
“Because these biohybrid bots have a naturally fluorescent biological interior and magnetic iron-oxide exterior, we can track and actuate a swarm of those agents inside the body quite easily,” Zhang said.
Tests are now underway to ensure the robots can degrade naturally in humans when they have carried out their task.