Magnetically actuated multimodal bioelectronic catheter for minimally invasive surgery and sensing

Small-scale magnetically actuated catheters capable of remote active navigation have promising applications in minimally invasive surgeries. However, existing fabrication techniques hinder their integration with multimodal sensing components, especially since embedding rigid electronic components within the catheters may diminish their flexibility and controllability. Here we report a magnetically actuated bioelectronic catheter with the in situ multiplexed biosensing of multiple types of metabolite or ion simultaneously. We use four-dimensional multichannel printing to fabricate a flexible multichannel ferromagnetic catheter with a multichannel-sheath structure, comprising six liquid metal microchannels embedded in a polymer matrix for electrical conduction. The catheter can navigate through blood vessels and intestines using magnetically controlled active steering, being used for renal vein or intestines interventional surgeries and in situ multimetabolite sensing on rabbit and porcine models. Overall, the reported magnetically actuated bioelectronic catheter is a promising tool for remotely controlled biosensing and therapies on hard-to-reach lesions during minimally invasive surgery.