Scientists at Tufts University and Harvard University have created Anthrobots, tiny biological robots composed of human tracheal cells. These robots can move across surfaces and promote neuron growth in damaged areas in a lab setting. Varying in size from a human hair’s width to the tip of a sharpened pencil, these multicellular robots have shown self-assembly capabilities and the ability to aid adjacent cell healing.
The researchers aim to use these biobots as therapeutic tools for regeneration, healing, and disease treatment. They have achieved this feat by reprogramming interactions between cells to create new multicellular structures without genetic modification.
The authors state that Anthrobots can be constructed from adult human cells without genetic modification, surpassing the capabilities observed in the Xenobots. These robots not only created new multicellular shapes but also exhibited different movement patterns across the surface of human neurons, promoting new growth to fill in damaged areas scratched by cell layers.
Michael Levin, Professor of Biology at Tufts University, expressed astonishment at the ability of normal patient tracheal cells, without genetic modification, to move independently and promote neuron growth in damaged regions.
The researchers emphasize the advantages of leveraging human cells, including the ability to construct therapeutic bots from a patient’s own cells without triggering immune responses. Anthrobots have a limited lifespan, which makes reabsorption into the body feasible. They do not pose a risk of exposure or unintended spread beyond the lab and have the potential for therapeutic applications like healing tissues, clearing plaque buildup in arteries, repairing nerve damage, recognizing bacteria or cancer cells, and delivering drugs to targeted tissues.
The study was published in the journal Advanced Science, and the researchers are now exploring additional applications and understanding how cellular assembly can be harnessed for various functions beyond those found in nature.
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