Sprecher
Beschreibung
Most state-of-the-art nanomedicine protocols rely on passive diffusion of nanoparticles (1), which results in limited tissue targeting and penetration efficiency. Active nanomotors can overcome this by achieving active and directed movement by sourcing energy from the environment (2). Herein, we propose a hybrid micro-nanoscale system comprised of an ultra-soft, microscale body, coupled with DNA-origami nanomotors. Inspired by amoeboid locomotion of immune cells, this vesicle-based body has proven capable of infiltrating interstices smaller than its diameter thanks to passive, large body deformations (3, 4). The embedding of nanomotors aims to induce active and controllable deformations that can be harnessed to transmit forces to the environment and achieve displacement (5).
We fabricated nanomotors by decorating self-assembled DNA nanotubes with enzymes (6). To achieve a microscale effect of the nanomotor activity, we performed an in-depth study on the design parameters modulating their interactions with the vesicle membrane, including aspect ratio, number and localisation of enzymes, number and length of membrane links. We analysed the localisation of the motors and the effect of the membrane-nanomotor coupling on the membrane dynamics and on the nanomotor motility. We studied the interaction by real time confocal microscopy and single particle tracking.
This hybrid cell-inspired microrobot design opens the path for ultra-soft medical devices, whose body compartment can be loaded with chemically complex and customisable cargo. Moreover, it potentially offers a platform to study the minimal elements of cellular locomotion.
1. C.-Y. Hsu et al., South African Journal of Chemical Engineering. 46, 233–270 (2023).
2. S. Chen et al., (2022), doi:10.1039/D2TB00556E.
3. E. De Remigis et al., IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics. 7, 123–129 (2024).
4. E. De Remigis, O. Tricinci, M. Ibrahimi, V. Iacovacci, S. Palagi, (Delft, The Netherlands, 2024).
5. G. Charras, E. Paluch, Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology. 9, 730–736 (2008).
6. T. Patiño Padial et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 12664–12671 (2024).
