A Needle-Type Microrobot for Targeted Drug Delivery by Affixing to a Microtissue

A needle-type microrobot (MR) for targeted drug delivery is developed to stably deliver drugs to a target microtissue (MT) for a given period time without the need for an external force after affixing. The MRs are fabricatedby 3D laser lithography and nickel (Ni)/titanium oxide (TiO₂) layers are coated by physical vapor deposition. The translational velocity of the MR is 714 µm s⁻¹ at 20 mT and affixed to the target MT under the control of a rotating magnetic field. The manipulability of the MR is shown by using both manual and automatic controls. Finally, drug release from the paclitaxel-loaded MR is characterized to determine the efficiency of targeted drug delivery. This study demonstrates the utility of the proposed needle-type MR for targeted drug delivery to MT with various flow rates in vitro physiological fluidic environments.