Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ANGIE (MAgnetically steerable wireless Nanodevices for the tarGeted delivery of therapeutIc agents in any vascular rEgion of the body)
Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31
The most common treatment for this kind of stroke involves injecting a thrombolytic drug (usually rtPA) into the blood, which then dissolves the clot. Unfortunately, while rtPA effectively dissolves these clots, it has many side effects, including internal bleeding, swelling, and many more. In stroke treatment, the doctor has to find a trade-off between administering a sufficient amount of rtPA to dissolve the clot in the brain and reducing its dosage to avoid its side effects. Unfortunately, these side effects also limit the time rtPA can be used to a few hours after the first symptoms. Thus, many strokes are not treated at all.
The ANGIE project has pioneered a revolutionary approach to precision medicine, developing magnetically guided nanodevices capable of navigating the human vascular system for highly targeted therapeutic interventions.
Key innovations include:
• A clinically compatible electromagnetic navigation system (eMNS) with real-time control over both position and orientation of microdevices inside flowing blood.
• Biodegradable, drug-loaded capsules with tunable release profiles and visibility under fluoroscopy.
• Robust control algorithms and tracking systems, enabling automated navigation through bifurcations and complex vascular geometries.
• Integration with clinical tools, such as custom-designed catheters and angiographic imaging, allowing seamless translation to clinical workflows.
By the end of the project, ANGIE has already demonstrated proof-of-concept in benchtop, ex vivo, and in vivo environments.
The expected impacts are multi-dimensional:
• Clinical impact: ANGIE enables site-specific delivery of thrombolytic or cytotoxic agents, potentially reducing systemic side effects, improving therapeutic efficacy, and enabling intervention in previously inaccessible regions (e.g. distal neurovascular clots).
• Economic impact: By decreasing reliance on systemic therapies and surgical interventions, ANGIE can reduce hospitalization times, treatment costs, and complications—yielding savings for healthcare systems.
• Technological impact: The project has set new benchmarks in microrobotic design, navigation, and drug delivery systems, which will catalyze innovation in both academia and industry.
• Societal impact: ANGIE addresses major health burdens such as ischemic stroke and cancer, offering precision, minimally invasive therapeutic options that improve quality of life and long-term outcomes.
Socio-economically, ANGIE fosters high-tech job creation, promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthens Europe’s leadership in medical robotics and nanomedicine. By forming startups, engaging with public stakeholders, and training early-stage innovators, ANGIE has already initiated a ripple effect in research, industry, and public awareness that will persist beyond the project’s lifetime.