Development of Micro Robots Inserted Through the Nose for Brain Treatment

Professor Choi Hongsu's Robotics Department Joint Research Team at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST)

Stem Cells [Photo by Getty Images Bank]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A miniature robot technology capable of delivering stem cell therapy to the brain through the human nose without causing damage has been developed.

Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) announced on the 2nd that Professor Hongsoo Choi's robotics team, in collaboration with Senior Researcher Jinyoung Kim of the DGIST-ETH Microrobot Research Center and Professor Sungwon Kim's team at the Catholic University Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, developed a "human-derived stem cell-based magnetic microrobot and minimally invasive brain drug delivery method via the olfactory pathway" that can improve the efficiency and safety of stem cell therapy.

The research team also succeeded in engrafting the stem cell-based microrobot developed through the olfactory pathway, which bypasses the Blood-Brain Barrier. This study is more effective and safer than existing surgeries and is expected to increase the possibility of treating various intractable neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and brain tumors in the future.

In vitro experiment of engraftment of human-derived stem cell-based magnetic microrobots in rat embryo micro brain organoids.

Stem cell therapy has limitations in delivering an accurate amount of stem cells to deep lesions or risky body parts within the body. Additionally, a large amount is lost during delivery, resulting in low treatment efficiency and safety, and the treatment cost is relatively high. In particular, when delivering stem cells to the brain through the bloodstream, the special part of the brain blood vessels called the "Blood-Brain Barrier" reduces cell delivery efficiency.

To overcome these limitations, the research team developed a human-derived stem cell-based magnetic microrobot that can be freely controlled inside the human body using an external magnetic field. They fabricated the microrobot by internalizing iron oxide nanoparticles, which have high biocompatibility and superparamagnetism, into stem cells extracted from the human nasal turbinate.

The human-derived stem cell-based magnetic microrobot can perform rolling motion induced by an external rotating magnetic field and translational motion caused by magnetic field gradients, enabling efficient movement in various physiological environments inside the body. Therefore, using an external magnetic field, the microrobot can be wirelessly controlled within microfluidic channels and transported quickly and accurately to the target site.

The research team also verified the stable engraftment of the newly developed microrobot in brain tissue through experiments. Notably, for the first time in the world, they injected the microrobot developed to bypass the rat's Blood-Brain Barrier via the olfactory pathway and successfully moved the microrobot within brain tissue using an external magnetic field to precisely reach and engraft in the cerebral cortex.

Professor Choi said, "This study overcame the limitation of delivering therapeutic agents into brain tissue due to the Blood-Brain Barrier," adding, "Because the newly developed human-derived stem cell-based magnetic microrobot is moved through the olfactory pathway, precise and safe delivery of stem cells is possible, opening new possibilities for treating various intractable neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and brain tumors."

The results of this study were published on the 6th of last month in the international journal ‘Advanced Healthcare Materials’ (JCR IF 9.933, top 8.333% in the field).

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