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Brain aneurysms and brain tumors are life-threatening diseases that cause more than 750,000 deaths each year.
Embolization, which stops the blood flow, is one of the first treatments. This minimally invasive procedure is typically performed by inserting a catheter into the femoral artery and delivering an embolic agent that travels through the blood vessel to the target site and seals the blood vessel.
Brain tumor prognosis AI tool developed by a team led by Hong Kong scientists
Brain tumor prognosis AI tool developed by a team led by Hong Kong scientists
However, this method is “often limited by poor catheter maneuverability in complex neurovascular networks,” the researchers said in a paper published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Science Robotics.
They also noted that the procedure is performed manually under X-rays, which exposes the surgeon to radiation for long periods of time.
Robots have been proposed to move catheters remotely, but the idea “remains a challenge” due to problems such as buckling, they said.
To address these issues, a team from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University designed an untethered, magnetically controlled soft robot.
Their study found that robotic embolization can be performed in blood vessel branches that cannot be reached with traditional catheters.
Melisa Jasinski, the magazine’s deputy editor, said: “Constructed of spirally wound magnetic fibers, microfiber bots can be adapted to a variety of container sizes and, when exposed to an external magnetic field, generate the propulsion of a corkscrew. ” writes Melisa Jasinski, the magazine’s deputy editor. paper.
“These proposed robots provide a controllable alternative to traditional catheter-based embolization.”
This robot is very small, about 0.5 mm. They can change shape by stretching or agglomerating, and can be manipulated up and down using magnetic fields.
The researchers also proposed using it as an adjunct to catheter-based embolization to “maximize clinical efficacy,” as it would have to travel long distances to reach the target blood vessel.
A catheter is used to approach the target, and the robot is injected into a blood vessel through the catheter and steered toward its destination using X-ray images.
“If the microfiber bot enters the wrong branch container, it can easily reorient itself in the correct direction,” the researchers wrote.
Microrobot created by Hong Kong scientist kills 99% of bacteria in medical implants
Microrobot created by Hong Kong scientist kills 99% of bacteria in medical implants
Once the robot reaches the target, embolization can be performed in two ways.
They can clump together and form tight shapes within blood vessel branches, cutting off the blood supply. This may reduce bleeding from the aneurysm and stop blood flow to the brain tumor.
The researchers said it is possible to use multiple robots for this treatment because the collective robots are not moved by magnetic fields that guide other robots.
Embolization of brain tumors can also be done by delivering particles into blood vessel branches where they clump together and “deplete the tumor for rapid removal.” According to the paper, cutting off blood flow to a tumor can stop the tumor from growing and even shrink it by killing cells.
In this type of embolization, a robot is used to block off “healthy” blood vessels before the particles are released into the targeted branch. Once done, you can remove the robot from the healthy branch.
In tests on a model ship system, the research team found that the particle interception rate of the dual robots in a healthy branch was up to 88%.
The robot was also tested on rabbit hind legs. Three weeks after the embolization, the robot continued to block blood flow, and examination of the rabbit’s organs “revealed no inflammation or pathological abnormalities,” the researchers said.
They cautioned that the robot is “still in its early stages” and requires further testing using different robot sizes, materials, and positioning systems to guide the robot, such as ultrasound.
But they concluded that the device had potential. “We envision our magnetic soft microfiber robot paving the way for future untethered robotic embolization of cerebral aneurysms and brain tumors,” the paper states.
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