Work

Rapid Fabrication of Self‐Propelled and Steerable Magnetic Microcatheters for Precision Medicine

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Minimally invasive therapies demand precise navigation through complex and delicate anatomical pathways, requiring medical tools that are small, flexible, and highly maneuverable. Here, a high-yield fabrication method for the production of magnetic tubular microrobots, tethered and untethered, with programmable magnetization, is presented. The method uses Joule heating through a template wire, enabling the fabrication of microrobots with tunable dimensions. Three device configurations are demonstrated: 1) a steerable guiding microcatheter with stiffness modulation; 2) an untethered tubular microrobot (TubeBot), exhibiting wave-crawling locomotion; and 3) a hybrid microcatheter robot that integrates distal-end wave-crawling propulsion with linear insertion to minimize tissue trauma. Validation in tortuous channels, soft phantoms replicating tissue compliance, 3D-printed organ models, ex vivo tissues, and live mice demonstrates the microrobots's ability to achieve precise navigation across different environments. The successful targeted delivery of sperm cells, embryos, and drug-mimicking compounds further highlights its potential for precision medicine, including applications in assisted reproduction and targeted drug delivery.

Source: Advanced Materials

DOI: 10.1002/adma.202506591

Authors: Zhi Chen, Boris Rivkin, David Castellanos‐Robles, Ivan Soldatov, Lukas Beyer, Mariana Medina‐Sánchez