Magnetic microrobots remove blood clot from intestinal artery
The innovation of the University of Twente and Radboud UMC could radically change the treatment of life-threatening vascular diseases.
Published on March 2, 2025
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Researchers at the TechMed Center of the University of Twente and the Radboud University Medical Center have used wireless magnetic robots to remove blood clots from sheep. This innovation could radically change the treatment of life-threatening vascular diseases such as thrombosis.
Cardiovascular diseases such as thrombosis constitute a significant health problem worldwide. In the world's poorest neighborhoods, one in four people die every year from blood clot-related conditions. A blood clot blocks a blood vessel, preventing the blood from delivering oxygen to certain body parts.
Current treatments do not always work for clots in hard-to-reach places. But magnetic microrobots offer hope for patients with otherwise inoperable blood clots. These small screw-shaped robots can navigate complex blood vessels without wires.
In a new study, researchers Islam Khalil (University of Twente) and Michiel Warlé (Radboudumc) demonstrate the potential of these microrobots for the accurate and minimally invasive removal of clots. In their experiments, the microrobots removed enough material from a blood clot in an ileal artery to allow blood flow to resume. The sheep's iliac artery was chosen because of its straight and accessible structure.
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Three methods
The study tested three methods: mechanical fragmentation, chemical dissolution, and a combination of both. The combined approach proved to be the safest and most effective, because it breaks up the clot and dissolves the fragments. “By completely dissolving them, we prevent them from causing a new clot further down the line,” explains Warlé. The tiny robot accurately targets clots in complex blood vessels using X-ray images.
The robots are 3D-printed and shaped like small screws, each with a small permanent magnet. “This small magnet, only one millimeter long and one millimeter in diameter, allows the 'screw' to rotate in both directions,” Khalil explains. ‘This allows the robot to swim against the blood flow and turn around to swim back.’ The screw-like design allows them to drill through blood clots effectively.
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In addition to removing blood clots and restoring blood flow in arteries, the technology can be used for other targeted treatments. “The robots can deliver medication exactly where it is needed,” Khalil explains. “This approach minimizes side effects in the rest of the body.”
The article, entitled “Wireless Mechanical and Hybrid Thrombus Fragmentation of Ex Vivo Endovascular Thrombosis Model in the Iliac Artery”, has been published in the scientific journal Applied Physics Reviews and can be read online. DOI: 10.1063/5.0233677