3D integration of pH-cleavable drug-hydrogel conjugates on magnetically driven smart microtransporters

Bernasconi, Roberto; Mauri, Emanuele; Rossetti, Arianna; Rimondo, Stefano; Suriano, Raffaella; Levi, Marinella; Sacchetti, Alessandro; Magagnin, Luca; Rossi, Filippo

doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2020.109212

Cited by 17 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…This is indicative of a larger contact area between the device and the glass substrate. As evidenced in our previous works, all these effects can be reasonably attributed to the presence of adhesion between the glass and the hydrogel rather than to the mass loaded on the device (Bernasconi et al, 2019;Bernasconi et al, 2021).…”

Section: Magnetic Actuationsupporting

confidence: 63%

“…The main aim is, therefore, to extend and control the diffusion path of the drug out from the gel matrix by coating the surface of the alginate hydrogel with an alternating sequence of layers of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes in order to create a protective barrier that tunes the release rate. With respect to our previous work (Bernasconi et al, 2021), where the drug-releasing hydrogel was chemically functionalized to release under certain pH conditions, the approach presented in the present article is less specific and more versatile. The release cannot be triggered, but the multilayered microsystems described hereby present important advantages: they are less costly, they do not need specific synthesis routes (making them ideal for a wide variety of drugs), and they do not chemically alter the drug upon release.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this context, remotely guidable microdevices, coated with hydrogel materials have been proposed ( Li et al, 2016 ; Lee et al, 2018 ). Hydrogels can also be easily functionalized by linking the drug to the hydrogel with cleavable bonds so that it is released only in specific conditions ( Mauri et al, 2017 ; Bernasconi et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The release cannot be triggered, but the multilayered microsystems described hereby present important advantages: they are less costly, they do not need specific synthesis routes (making them ideal for a wide variety of drugs), and they do not chemically alter the drug upon release. Following our previous work ( Bernasconi et al, 2021 ), the geometry of the devices and alginate coating procedure were optimized. The best pair of oppositely charged materials to be used was determined.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Layer-by-Layer Fabrication of Hydrogel Microsystems for Controlled Drug Delivery From Untethered Microrobots

Bernasconi

Pizzetti

Rossetti

et al. 2021

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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Targeted drug delivery from untethered microrobots is a topic of major interest in current biomedical research. The possibility to load smart materials able to administer active principles on remotely in vivo guidable microdevices constitutes one of the most attractive opportunities to overcome the drawbacks of classical untargeted delivery methodologies. Hydrogels, in particular, are ideal candidates as drug-carrying materials due to their biocompatibility, low cost, and ease of manufacturing. On the other hand, these polymers suffer from poor control over release rate and overall released amount. Starting from these premises, the present article demonstrates the possibility to tune the release of hydrogels applied on magnetically steerable microrobots by fabricating microsystems via layer-by-layer self-assembly. By doing this, the diffusion of chemicals from the hydrogel layers to the external environment can be optimized and the phenomenon of burst release can be strongly limited. The microrobotic platforms employed to transport the hydrogel active material are fabricated by employing 3D printing in combination with wet metallization and present a gold layer on their surface to enhance biocompatibility. The maneuverability of microdevices coated with both thin and thick multilayers is investigated, individuating optimized parameters for efficient actuation.

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Section: Magnetic Actuationsupporting

confidence: 63%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Layer-by-Layer Fabrication of Hydrogel Microsystems for Controlled Drug Delivery From Untethered Microrobots

Bernasconi

Pizzetti

Rossetti

et al. 2021

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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“…14,15 By combining such properties with electrical sensitivity, electro-responsive hydrogels could be further developed to enable the conversion of electrical energy/stimuli into mechanical energy/transformation. Recent studies from this field explore their use for exogenous stimulusactivated drug delivery, 4,16 protein patterning, 17 cell cultivation and sorting, 18,19 tissue and material engineering, 20,21 and as dynamic 3D scaffolds. 22,23 In addition, the repeatable/cyclic sol-gel transformation of hydrogels enables the design of smart engineering materials as stimulable catalytic supports with immobilized active sites.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an electrically responsive hydrogel for programmable in situ immobilization within a microfluidic device

Ambrožič

Plazl

2021

Soft Matter

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Assembly of Fillable Microrobotic Systems by Microfluidic Loading with Dip Sealing

et al. 2023

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applications, including diagnostics and therapeutics. [1] Compared to traditionally passive nanomedicines, microrobots are active-matter systems composed of actuatable components including magnetic, [2] acoustic, [3] chemical, [4] and/or materials of biological origin. [5] These properties enable microrobots to navigate their environments and to perform highly specific tasks, such as penetrating deep tissues for drug delivery. Importantly, microrobotic systems can be engineered to perform different functions including targeted drug delivery, [6] cell delivery, [7] sensing, [8] and imaging. [9] However, the human body consists of complex microenvironments with varying pH levels, pressures, and size constraints. Designing microrobots with properties that permit navigation through complex environments like the body while maintaining efficacy is a multifaceted challenge.Surface coatings are widely used as a direct approach for loading cargoes onto microrobots. These coatings capitalize on the interface forces between the microrobotic devices and the loaded cargoes and can be released in response to exogenous or endogenous stimuli. For instance, hydrogen bonding has been employed to non-covalently attach surface-loaded drug cargoes that can then be released via Microrobots can provide spatiotemporally well-controlled cargo delivery that can improve therapeutic efficiency compared to conventional drug delivery strategies. Robust microfabrication methods to expand the variety of materials or cargoes that can be incorporated into microrobots can greatly broaden the scope of their functions. However, current surface coating or direct blending techniques used for cargo loading result in inefficient loading and poor cargo protection during transportation, which leads to cargo waste, degradation and non-specific release. Herein, a versatile platform to fabricate fillable microrobots using microfluidic loading and dip sealing (MLDS) is presented. MLDS enables the encapsulation of different types of cargoes within hollow microrobots and protection of cargo integrity. The technique is supported by highresolution 3D printing with an integrated microfluidic loading system, which realizes a highly precise loading process and improves cargo loading capacity. A corresponding dip sealing strategy is developed to encase and protect the loaded cargo whilst maintaining the geometric and structural integrity of the loaded microrobots. This dip sealing technique is suitable for different materials, including thermal and light-responsive materials. The MLDS platform provides new opportunities for microrobotic systems in targeted drug delivery, environmental sensing, and chemically powered micromotor applications.

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3D integration of pH-cleavable drug-hydrogel conjugates on magnetically driven smart microtransporters

Cited by 17 publications

References 55 publications

Layer-by-Layer Fabrication of Hydrogel Microsystems for Controlled Drug Delivery From Untethered Microrobots

Layer-by-Layer Fabrication of Hydrogel Microsystems for Controlled Drug Delivery From Untethered Microrobots

Development of an electrically responsive hydrogel for programmable in situ immobilization within a microfluidic device

Assembly of Fillable Microrobotic Systems by Microfluidic Loading with Dip Sealing

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