Biodegradable small-scale swimmers for biomedical applications
Llacer-Wintle, Joaquin (ETH Zurich. Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems. Multi-Scale Robotics Lab)
Rivas-Dapena, Antón (ETH Zurich. Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems. Multi-Scale Robotics Lab)
Chen, Xiangzhong (ETH Zurich. Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems. Multi-Scale Robotics Lab)
Pellicer Vilà, Eva Maria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Física)
Nelson, Bradley J. (ETH Zurich. Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems. Multi-Scale Robotics Lab)
Puigmartí-Luis, Josep (Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional. Departament de Ciència dels Materials i Química Física)
Pané i Vidal, Salvador (ETH Zurich. Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems. Multi-Scale Robotics Lab)

Date:	2021
Abstract:	Most forms of biomatter are ephemeral, which means they transform or deteriorate after a certain time. From this perspective, implantable healthcare devices designed for temporary treatments should exhibit the ability to degrade and either blend in with healthy tissues, or be cleared from the body with minimal disruption after accomplishing their designated tasks. This topic is currently being investigated in the field of biomedical micro- and nanoswimmers. These tiny devices have the ability to move through fluids by converting physical or chemical energy into motion. Several architectures of these devices have been designed to mimic the motion strategies of nature's motile microorganisms and cells. Due to their motion abilities, these devices have been proposed as minimally invasive tools for precision healthcare applications. Hence, a natural progression in this field is to produce motile structures that can adopt, or even surpass, similar transient features as biological systems. The fate of small-scale swimmers after accomplishing their therapeutic mission is critical for the successful translation of small-scale swimmers' technologies into clinical applications. In this review, recent research efforts are summarized on the topic of biodegradable micro- and nanoswimmers for biomedical applications, with a focus on targeted therapeutic delivery.
Grants:	European Commission 771565 European Commission 861145 European Commission 677020 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-292 Agencia Estatal de Investigación MAT2017-86357-C3-1-R
Rights:	Tots els drets reservats.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Published in:	Advanced materials, Vol. 33, Issue 42 (October 2021) , art. 2102049, ISSN 1521-4095

DOI: 10.1002/adma.202102049
PMID: 34480388

Postprint 50 p, 1.3 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Group of Smart Nanoengineered Materials, Nanomechanics and Nanomagnetism (Gnm3)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles