Swarming Multifunctional Heater-Thermometer Nanorobots for Precise Feedback Hyperthermia Delivery

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Micro-/nanorobots (MNRs) offer promising motile-targeting capabilities for biomedical applications.
• Accurate therapeutic dose reporting and regulation remain significant challenges for current swarming MNRs.
• Photothermal hyperthermia requires precise control of heat delivery for effective disease treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop swarming multifunctional heater-thermometer nanorobots (HT-NRs).
• To apply HT-NRs for precise feedback-controlled photothermal hyperthermia delivery.
• To enable targeted elimination of diseased cells with visual feedback.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of HT-NRs as photothermal-responsive photonic nanochains using magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles and a temperature-responsive hydrogel shell.
• Utilizing rotating magnetic fields for controllable swarming motion and deployment.
• Leveraging photothermal conversion and photothermochromism for simultaneous heating and temperature sensing.

Main Results:

• HT-NRs demonstrated energetic and controllable swarming motions.
• Simultaneous nanoheating and nanothermometry capabilities were achieved.
• Self-reporting photothermochromism provided visual feedback for regulating external light irradiation.
• Selective elimination of diseased cells in targeted regions was demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The developed HT-NRs function as intelligent, multifunctional theranostic nanorobots.
• Precise feedback photothermal hyperthermia delivery was achieved using HT-NRs.
• This technology holds potential for advanced, targeted disease treatment strategies.