Microwalkers Navigate Cell Surfaces Autonomously

Oct-29-14 A team of MIT researchers is working to develop "microwalkers" able to find their way to specific areas of a cell autonomously, opening the door to new ways of drug delivery.

The technology was born from the desire to create an active system able to detect gradients in biological receptors, similar to the way bacteria locate nutrients. The system consists of a pair of linked particles with magnetic properties that can be caused to "tumble across a surface," one particle before the other, when subjected to a magnetic field. In this way, the particles will move across a surface and toward the area with the higher amount of friction—which in cells is created by the cell's surface receptors, also the common targets for drugs.

The team's next step is to test the technology on more complex, 3D surfaces. If the technology is an eventual success, it could be used to help locate tumors and pathogens or deliver targeted drugs.

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