Description du projet
Microrobots magnétiques pour la chimioembolisation du foie
Des microrobots déclenchés magnétiquement ont été proposés il y a plus de dix ans pour accéder à des zones distantes du corps humain. Le projet MAMBO, financé par l’UE, a pour objectif de développer cette approche révolutionnaire pour des applications cliniques spécifiques, dont la chimioembolisation. L’idée principale est d’améliorer la chimiothérapie du cancer et les protocoles de chimioembolisation existants en utilisant une force magnétique pour diriger les traitements de chimiothérapie vers la région spécifique et réaliser une embolisation stable sur les vaisseaux sanguins tumoraux. Le projet va développer des microrobots légers magnétiques porteurs de médicaments et sensibles aux ultrasons. Des techniques de contrôle du nuage magnétique seront utilisées pour activer la mobilité du microrobot dans les fluides biologiques concernés. Cela permettra d’amplifier le microrobot et de contrôler l’occlusion des vaisseaux tout en apportant une imagerie ultrasons simultanée pour assurer leur suivi in vivo.
Objectif
Magnetically actuated untethered microrobots have been proposed in the state of the art since more than a decade towards the dream of accessing remote hard to reach areas of the human body. Nevertheless, some challenges still have to be faced before any microrobot-based therapeutic paradigm can reach the clinical practice. MAMBO (Magnetic swArms for liver chemoeMBOlization) aims at facing some of these challenges by targeting a specific clinical application, namely liver chemoembolization.
The proposal stems from the idea to improve cancer chemotherapy and existing chemoembolization procedures by using magnetic forces to collect chemotherapeutics in the target region (through swarm control methods) and to controllably and stably embolize tumor blood vessels.
Drug loaded soft magnetic microrobots featured by responsiveness to ultrasound will be developed to this aim. The responsivity to US will enable microrobot swelling and controlled vessel occlusion and at the same time their ultrasound-based imaging to guarantee their tracking in vivo. Magnetic swarm control techniques will be employed to enable microrobots locomotion in biologically-relevant fluids.
MAMBO will last 36 months and is articulated in a 24 months outgoing phase carried out at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK – partner organization) and in a 12 months return phase in Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA – beneficiary organization). In the framework of the project I will try to deepen my skills in magnetic swarm control by benefiting from the major expertise of Prof. Li Zhang’s group. At the same time, I will share with them my background in medical robotics and drug delivery systems towards the development and testing of a novel therapeutic paradigm for cancer treatment. During the return phase at SSSA I will focus on the US imaging of the developed microrobots thanks to the Interaction with Prof. Menciassi’s group and to their expertise in US-based technologies.
Champ scientifique
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinateur
56127 Pisa
Italie