Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering

My research focuses on micro- and nano-systems for biomedical applications, in particular, developing new actuation, sensing and delivery mechanisms for robots at small scales. Our vision is that self-propelling micro-/nano-vehicles can be controlled to navigate in the human body and penetrate solid tumor tissues, to enhance the drug uptake and improve the overall efficacy of tumor therapies. At DKFZ site Dresden, we are aiming at the holistic integration of four key aspects into one intelligent microsystem: locomotion, sensing, control and biomedical cargos.

Propulsion through viscoelastic biological tissues

One major obstacle that hinders current micro-/nano-robots from clinical applications is the lack of efficient propulsion mechanisms to penetrate real biological media. Most current micro-/nano-robots can propel in water (or viscous fluids), however, the same propulsion mechanisms do not readily transfer to viscoelastic materials, which include almost all biological media. In our ERC project VIBEBOT, we are creating micro-robots that can navigate deep inside the brain, aiming at targeted drug delivery for hard-to-reach brain tumors.

Magnetic localization and sensing using microdevices

Another challenge of applying micro-robots in clinical applications is a reliable and wireless localization and control. State-of-the-art imaging methods, such as ultrasound, MRI, and fluoroscopy/CT, have difficulties to continuously, wirelessly, and accurately monitor the 3D position and orientation of microdevices. We developed a novel magnetic localization method “SMOL” based on the mechanical oscillation of a miniature magnet in the robot.