Towards hybrid microrobots using pH- and photo-responsive hydrogels for cancer targeting and drug delivery
Maura Power, Salzitsa Anastasova, Suzanne Shanel, Guang-Zhong Yang
Abstract
This work is towards targeted drug delivery using microrobots functionalized to navigate towards naturally occurring pH gradients caused by cancer cells, and to release a payload in response to a light stimulus. Stimuli-responsive microrobots for the localization of specific cell types and targeted drug delivery could provide a new and promising therapy to prevent and treat the spread of cancer. In this work, we present two novel biocompatible photoresists for the fabrication of hybrid microrobots using two-photon polymerization (TPP) for medical applications. One biomarker for cancerous cells is that they exhibit lower pH compared to surrounding healthy tissue. In this work, a pH-responsive resist was developed and demonstrated to automatically seek a low-pH solid in a microfluidic channel, simulating metastatic cells within a vessel. The second resist, a hydrogel-based photoresist, was created to contract in response to light. The two resists were combined together in a two-step printing process to create a microswimmer with potential for tumor localization and drug release capabilities in the human circulatory system.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{icra2017_towardshybridmic,
title = {Towards hybrid microrobots using pH- and photo-responsive hydrogels for cancer targeting and drug delivery},
author = {Maura Power and Salzitsa Anastasova and Suzanne Shanel and Guang-Zhong Yang},
booktitle = {ICRA 2017},
year = {2017}
}