Sounds like science fiction, but it’s true: Tiny robots have successfully eradicated bacterial pneumonia from the lungs of mice. The results are available in a study published in the scientific journal. Nature Supplies.

The scientists in the study were able to direct a group of microscopic swimming robots to clear pneumonia germs from the mice’s lungs. The success raises hopes that a similar treatment could be developed to treat fatal bacterial pneumonia in humans.

These robots are made of algal cells that move through the lungs, which is critical for the treatment to be targeted and effective, and are coated with a layer of antibiotic nanoparticles.

These nanoparticles are made of tiny polymer spheres covered with membranes of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell – immune cell. It neutralizes inflammatory molecules produced by bacteria and the immune system itself, after which they naturally degrade.

The researchers found that treatment with microrobots was much more effective than intravenous injection of antibiotics.

In experiments, infections in mice treated with nanoboots while the algae disappeared, the untreated mice died within three days.

The technology is still in the proof-of-concept stage. The next step would be to do more research on how this is done. microbots It expands the work by interacting with the immune system and prepares it for testing on larger animals and humans.

deadly bacteria

The bacteria used in the study Pseudomonas aeruginosais responsible for causing pneumonia in human patients using mechanical ventilators in intensive care. This infection often prolongs hospital stay and significantly increases the risk of death.

The researchers are confident that the new method can be scaled up and applied to the lungs of patients who are ventilated through a tube in the trachea, as in mice.

“Our goal is to deliver targeted drugs to more challenging areas of the body, such as the lungs,” said chemical engineer Liangfang Zhang of the University of California, San Diego (USA), who led the study.

Matter: Nature Supplies – https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-022-01360-9.

Source: Tec Mundo

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I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.

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