Autonomous Magnetic Microrobots by Navigating Gates for Multiple Biomolecules Delivery

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics
• Biotechnology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Precise delivery of biofunctionalized materials is crucial for fundamental and applied research.
• Automated isolation, manipulation, and on-chip separation of rare analytes remain significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a universal micromagnet junction for controlled delivery of biomolecules and cells.
• To demonstrate a method for parallel and automated manipulation of rare analytes on-chip.

Main Methods:

• Development of a micromagnet junction with a nonmagnetic gap acting as an energy barrier.
• Utilizing remote magnetic fields to guide microrobotic particles for self-navigating gates.
• Designing junction geometry for high-resolution delivery and trapping of protein-functionalized carriers and cells (MCF-7, THP-1).

Main Results:

• Demonstrated high-fidelity delivery and individual trapping of multiple protein-functionalized carriers.
• Successfully isolated and trapped MCF-7 and THP-1 cells from a mixture with high resolution.
• The micromagnet junction design effectively restricts particle gating via a crucial energy barrier.

Conclusions:

• The proposed micromagnet junction offers a universal solution for precise biomolecule and cell delivery.
• Integration with magnetophoretic circuitry can enable synchronous digital manipulation in microfluidic multiplex arrays.
• This technology paves the way for next-generation biochips with advanced particle manipulation capabilities.