Application of micro/nanorobot in medicine

Tianhao Sun; Jingyu Chen; Jiayang Zhang; Zhihong Zhao; Yiming Zhao; Jingxue Sun; Hao Chang

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2024.1347312

Application of micro/nanorobot in medicine

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2024 Jan 25:12:1347312. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1347312. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Tianhao Sun^#¹, Jingyu Chen^#², Jiayang Zhang^#³, Zhihong Zhao¹, Yiming Zhao¹, Jingxue Sun⁴, Hao Chang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
² Department of Oncology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Breast Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, China.
⁴ Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

The development of micro/nanorobots and their application in medical treatment holds the promise of revolutionizing disease diagnosis and treatment. In comparison to conventional diagnostic and treatment methods, micro/nanorobots exhibit immense potential due to their small size and the ability to penetrate deep tissues. However, the transition of this technology from the laboratory to clinical applications presents significant challenges. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the research progress in micro/nanorobotics, encompassing biosensors, diagnostics, targeted drug delivery, and minimally invasive surgery. It also addresses the key issues and challenges facing this technology. The fusion of micro/nanorobots with medical treatments is poised to have a profound impact on the future of medicine.

Keywords: biosensor; diagnosis; micro/nanorobot; surgery; targeting drug delivery.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by Research and Innovation Fund of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (Grant No. 2022M24).