2mm micro-magnetically controlled robot is expected to change cancer detection and precision treatment

Researchers at the University of Leeds in the UK have successfully developed a micro-magnetic controller with a diameter of only 2 mm (as shown below), which can penetrate deep into the lungs for cancer and precision treatment.

This tiny tentacle robot can remotely reach some of the smallest bronchi, completing precise, customized and minimally invasive treatments.

In tests on laboratory lung samples, the microrobot moved 37% deeper than standard minimally invasive devices and caused less tissue damage.

Additionally, the researchers are developing two-handed magnetic soft robots that allow one to move a camera and the other to control a laser to remove tiny tumor tissue.

Minimally invasive surgery is urgently needed for early-stage lung cancer

Lung cancer has the highest cancer mortality rate worldwide. For approximately 84% of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, surgical intervention is the standard treatment. However, conventional surgery is highly invasive and results in the removal of a large amount of lung tissue. This surgery is not suitable for all patients and has a serious impact on the patient's lung function.

At the same time, with the popularization of early lung cancer screening, the early lung cancer detection rate and patient survival rate have been improved, but it also highlights the urgent need to find non-invasive methods to accurately treat early lung cancer patients. Micro-robotic surgery will become the future development direction.

The research team is collecting experimental data and preparing to enter human trials. This research brings the possibility of precision treatment for early diagnosis and non-invasive treatment of lung cancer.

Image display effect of entering the tiny airways of the lungs








Review editor: Liu Qing