For more exact delivery, scientists are hiring motile, single-celled organisms as cars that carry drugs to specific sites in the body.So far, scientists have harnessed swimming bacteria for targeted drug shipment. In one case, magnetotactic bacteria guided by an external magnetic field brought nanosize liposomes packed with a chemotherapy drug to mouse growths. Each nanoparticle is covered in a neutrophil membrane, which promotes immune evasion and enables the microrobots to lock onto pathogens, depositing the drugs in their vicinity.Treatment with microalgae worked despite a dosage of prescription antibiotics 3,000 times smaller than was required intravenously.The scientists evaluated the algae in mice with an extreme kind of pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. PDF © MESA SCHUMACHER, Adapted from Fig. 1 of F. Zhang et al., Nat Mater 21:1324– 32, 2022Algae microrobots may open “brand-new horizons” in drug targeting, states Zheng, potentially providing an “reliable solution” to the problem of low drug absorption.Finding the best method to get microrobots into the body is still an “ongoing effort,” says Zhang.
For more accurate delivery, scientists are hiring motile, single-celled organisms as lorries that transport drugs to specific sites in the body.So far, scientists have actually utilized swimming bacteria for targeted drug delivery. Each nanoparticle is wrapped in a neutrophil membrane, which promotes immune evasion and enables the microrobots to lock onto pathogens, depositing the drugs in their vicinity.Treatment with microalgae worked despite a dosage of antibiotics 3,000 times smaller than was needed intravenously.The scientists evaluated the algae in mice with a serious kind of pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. PDF © MESA SCHUMACHER, Adapted from Fig. 1 of F. Zhang et al., Nat Mater 21:1324– 32, 2022Algae microrobots may open “new horizons” in drug targeting, says Zheng, possibly using an “effective solution” to the issue of low drug absorption.Finding the finest method to get microrobots into the body is still an “ongoing effort,” says Zhang.