Interactions between Biomedical Micro‐/Nano‐Motors and the Immune Molecules, Immune Cells, and the Immune System: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Mobile micro‐ and nano‐motors (MNMs) emerge as revolutionary platforms for biomedical applications, including drug delivery, biosensing, non‐invasive surgery, and cancer therapy. While for applications in biomedical fields and practical clinical translation, the interactions of these untethered tiny machines with the immune system is an essential issue to be considered. This review highlights the recent approaches of surpassing immune barriers to prevent foreign motors from triggering immune responses. In addition to trials focusing on the function preservation of MNMs, examples of versatile MNMs working with the immune components (immune molecules, immune cells and the whole system) to achieve cancer immunotherapy, immunoassay, and detoxification are outlined. The immune interference part provides researchers an idea about what is the limit presented by the immune components. The coworking part suggests ways to bypass or even utilize the limit. With interdisciplinary cooperation of nanoengineering, materials science, and immunology field, the rationally designed functional MNMs are expected to provide novel opportunities for the biomedical field.

Biocompatible micromotors for biosensing

“…Moreover, while it is not the focus of this review, we want to highlight the importance of considering how media composition (pH, ions, ionic force, viscosity, immune system, etc. ), biofunctionalization, biorecognition, and propulsion mechanisms affect one another [ 70 , 71 ]. In order to obtain MNMs with suitable bioanalytical performance for their intended application, all these interactions should be addressed.…”

Recent Progress of Micro/Nanorobots for Cell Delivery and Manipulation

“…[ 24–26 ] The biological barriers in organisms would hinder the movement of microrobots, such as the human immune system which may remove the microrobots as foreign substances. [ 27–29 ] Moreover, the complexity of the micro bio‐environment and the customization of microrobots for various human diseases are also crucial. Researchers need to figure out optimized strategies (including materials design, nano/microfabrication technology, power mechanism) to well utilize the advantages of the microrobots, thus leading to translations from research studies to clinical applications.…”

An ischemia-homing bioengineered nano-scavenger for specifically alleviating multiple pathogeneses in ischemic stroke

“…During the past decades, tremendous progress has been made to understand the different mechanisms associated with the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. Microglia cells are the resident immune cells in the brain which are imperative regulators of central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis, existing in two polarized phenotypes including a pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype and an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype [18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Particularly, over-activated M1 phenotype microglia cells play an important role in ischemic stroke injury which can trigger neuroinflammation and neuronal dysfunction [23,[25][26][27][28][29].…”