In ANGIE (MAgnetically steerable wireless Nanodevices for the tarGeted delivery of therapeutIc agents in any vascular rEgion of the body), we develop microrobots for targeted drug delivery treatment of conditions such as strokes.
Steerable wireless nanodevices
Don’t let their mini size fool you! Tiny mobile magnetic devices are showing huge potential for future biomedical applications. However, the use of these micro- and nanodevices in clinical settings is not easy. The EU-funded ANGIE project will forge ahead with small-scale robotics, magnetic navigation systems and localised targeted drug delivery. Specifically, the project will develop magnetically steerable wireless nanodevices for the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents via the body’s vascular system.
By creating a baseline of knowledge and skills for localised targeted drug delivery, the project will increase health professionals’ capacity to treat multiple chronic diseases. Moreover, it will enable doctors to deliver drugs precisely where needed with minimal side effects.
See these minuscule robots in action
Objective
The past decade has seen exciting progress in the field of mobile magnetic small-scale devices.
These tiny machines have demonstrated great potential for biomedical applications. However, current mobile micro- and nanodevices do not meet the conditions for their translation into medical practice. The use of these devices in clinical settings implies specific requirements and constraints that are often conflicting and imply substantial challenges that are not considered in lab-scale research. The ANGIE project puts forward a radically new technology that is far beyond the current state of the art in the field of micro/nanorobots, and implies major progress in small-scale robotics, magnetic navigation systems, and localized targeted drug delivery. ANGIE will create a solid baseline of knowledge and skills for localised targeted drug delivery based on steerable wireless nanodevices, capable of navigating the body vascular system to deliver drugs where no other instrument can go.
ANGIE will offer health professionals vastly improved intervention capacity to tackle multiple chronic diseases and enable them to deliver drugs precisely where needed, with minimal side effects. To assemble the interdisciplinary communities around this technology and to demonstrate its potential to mitigate the impact of chronic health conditions, we will apply the ANGIE technology for the localized treatment of thrombotic stroke. ANGIE is supported by stakeholders representing a broad spectrum of European organizations and citizens, such as large multinationals (e.g. Siemens and CLS Behring), policy makers (e.g. health systems and healthcare facilities), as well as civil society organizations (e.g. associations of health professionals and stroke patients). These stakeholders will help us create an innovation eco-system around our radically new technology and will play vital advisory roles regarding the feasibility, transferability, and exploitability of the proposed technology.
