Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Conversation
The Conversation
Zhengxing Li, Ph.D. Candidate in Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego

Microrobots made of algae carry chemo directly to lung tumors, improving cancer treatment

Part algae, part red blood cell, these microrobots can travel to hard-to-reach tumors deep in the lungs. From Zhang et al., Sci. Adv. 10, eadn6157 (2024), CC BY-NC

Tumors that travel to the lungs, or lung metastases, pose a formidable challenge in the realm of cancer treatment. Conventional chemotherapy often falls short because it’s inefficient. It doesn’t directly target the lungs and accumulate in a high enough concentration to kill tumors.

My colleagues and I from the Wang lab and Zhang Research Group at the University of California, San Diego have spent the past five years developing biohybrid microrobots, tiny objects made of both natural and synthetic materials, that can be used in medicine.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.