2023-12-11 23:00:00
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The union between human and machine has been one of the greatest sources of inspiration for dystopian futures in science fiction works. In these works, humans take advantage of devices of all kinds to improve their abilities or treat their ailments. In the futures they present to us, materials technology has improved enough for the body to accept implants with amazing functions. But unfortunatelythe reality of bionics is somewhat different.
Video:Biomedicine and biotechnology: Origin, challenges and what you should know
Robotics allows people who have lost some of their limbs to regain a certain independence and quality of life. Nowadays you can find complete hands, feet, arms and legs that help in day-to-day tasks. The most advanced prostheses are even connected to the patient’s nervous system, allowing you to control the movements of the prosthesis with your thoughts. But although advances have been notable in recent years, the capabilities of these devices pale in comparison to what the human body is capable of achieving. Thus, One of the great goals of biomedicine is to achieve tissue regeneration. And that is where a concept of a robot comes in that clashes with what we understand by a machine. The anthrobots.
Robots made with cells
Anthrobots are created from special cells that we have in our body called hair cells. Hair cells are found in the respiratory system and are the responsible for cleaning both the lungs and the upper airways of all the particles we breathe in throughout the day. For this they use the cilia, structures in the form of microscopic hairs that are found in the cell membrane and that can move as if it were a miniature whip. Each hair cell can contain tens or hundreds of cilia that move in a coordinated manner and there are billions of cells in tissues that pool the strength of their cilia to act as a conveyor belt that removes particles from the respiratory tract.
To create an anthrobot, researchers remove hair cells from the trachea and grow them in a liquid medium. When cells begin to divide, they are able to rearrange their structures and form small multicellular spheres called organoids. Organoids are very interesting in the world of research, since they allow us to study the effect of drugs in complex tissues and thus better understand their mechanisms of action before taking them to other models. But hair cell organoids have shown a very interesting peculiarity. By changing the conditions of the environment you can force the cells create cilia on the outside of the organoid spherewith which they begin to act like small oars that move the sphere around the culture plate, transforming it into an anthrobot.
Anthrobots come in different shapes and sizes. The diameter of the smallest ones is less than the thickness of a human hair, while the largest ones reach almost half a millimeter. Some are completely spherical and others more oval. Additionally, depending on the position of their cilia, anthrobots can move erratically, in circles or by waving slightly. The differences are interesting on a therapeutic level, since They offer different characteristics depending on the intended use.
Gizem Gumuskaya, Tufts University
Microscopy image in which you can see the different shapes of the anthrobots.
Union make force
By placing anthrobots in another culture dish full of neurons, the researchers observed that they moved throughout the dish as if they were guards doing a reconnaissance round. Undisturbed, the small robots continued to move and control the tissue until, due to their nature, They disintegrated between 45 and 60 days. Now, when scratching the crop with a sharp object, a surprising phenomenon occurred. If the concentration of anthrobots was increased to apply them to the affected area, scientists were able to create conglomerates of cells that they called superbots. These superbots recognized the damage that had occurred to the tissue and favored the regeneration of neurons in the culture plate.
Gizem Gumuskaya, Tufts University
Image of neuronal tissue in culture. The strip that can be seen in the middle of the image is the wound produced by the researchers. The dark shape is the anthrobot located in the wound.
In the plates treated with anthrobots, neuronal regeneration was substantial. The damage practically disappeared as new junctions formed and the neurons returned to their previous state. On the control plates The researchers did not add the small robots and no regeneration was observed.
This is a very promising result, which is why biomedical applications are already beginning to be sought for these small robots made of human cells. On a therapeutic level They offer many advantages over other drug delivery vehicles. Since anthrobots could be made from the patient’s own cells, would not cause any type of rejection and, therefore, adverse reactions would decrease considerably.
But the possibilities do not end there, these small robots could be used in diseases that currently have a difficult solution. For example, to help remove plaque buildup in the arteries of patients with atherosclerosis, to repair damage to the spinal cord, or to recognize and eliminate cancer cells from the body. Furthermore, they have the advantage that They disintegrate naturally within a few daysso when they finish their work, they would be reabsorbed by the body.
A future too bright
Although these technologies offer a new horizon full of possibilities, scientists urge caution. Biological components are difficult to control and It is very possible that experiments that work in a culture dish will not work when applied to the human body. Now, science is not only translational, that is, an application does not have to be immediately sought for each and every experiment. Basic science helps us understand the processes that occur in nature and to better explain the world around us.
Only By studying the characteristics of anthrobots, scientists could reveal molecular repair mechanisms present in the cells of the human body. Once understood, its manipulation would make it possible to accelerate the repair of tissues and organs in injured patients or patients with other complications, such as those who have suffered a heart attack. This way, in the future, scars or organ failure could be a thing of the past. However, it is not necessary to advance events. For now, Researchers have created robots using human cells that have the ability to repair neuronal tissue in a culture dish. Results that are already impressive in themselves.
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