Obtaining clinical biopsies from difficult to reach spots may be getting easier thanks to new microgrippers developed at Johns Hopkins University. The star-shaped microdevices are made from a combination of soft hydrogels and a stiff biodegradable polymer, allowing them to fold in on themselves and grab onto cells. The technology may one day be used not only for performing challenging biopsies, but also for targeted drug delivery and even for interventional surgical procedures.
The microgrippers take advantage of hydrogels’ ability to change shape in response to light, acidity, or temperature variations. The embedded polymer provides the strength necessary to grab onto target tissue and to take a bite. Since these devices would be useless without a navigation system, they also have magnetic nanoparticles dispersed within their structure that allow external magnets to guide the microgrippers on their way to their target.
Study in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces: Self-Folding Thermo-Magnetically Responsive Soft Microgrippers…
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