Researchers successfully directed tiny robots to clear pneumonia in mice.
The microbots are made from algae cells covered with antibiotic nanoparticles. The algae provide movement through the lungs, and the nanoparticles neutralize inflammatory molecules produced by bacteria and the body’s immune system. Both the nanoparticles and the algae degrade naturally.
In experiments, the infections in the mice treated with the algae bots all cleared up, whereas the mice that weren’t treated all died within three days. The researchers also found that the microbot treatment was more effective than an intravenous antibiotics injection.
The outcome raises hopes that a similar treatment could be developed to treat pneumonia in humans. Next up for the team is more research into how the microbots interact with the immune system, then scaling up the work and preparing it to be tested in larger animals – eventually humans.
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