In healthcare, effective drug delivery remains a key challenge. Traditional pills and injections offer relief but often cause side effects and have limited efficacy. Active matter therapeutics transform treatment by delivering medicines precisely to affected areas, reducing side effects and enhancing drug delivery.
Traditional drug ingestion is passive, meaning medications often affect the entire body, with a few exceptions. A contrasting approach, using principles from active matter physics, is to evolve a branch of therapeutics aimed at directed drug delivery. By harnessing autonomous movement and response to local cues, this approach aims to ensure that medications are released precisely at the target site — whether a tumour, an infected area, or a specific organ. Ideally, this would minimise the side effects, says Sriram Ramaswamy, Honorary Professor, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
The Bangalore Science and Technology Cluster (BeST), established under the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, works to enhance and educate better healthcare management in the city of Bengaluru. As part of its initiative, BeST recognises the need to understand and integrate active matter therapeutics within the community. Given the relative novelty of research and clinical trials, there exists a significant knowledge gap in the community.
Active matter therapeutics: A new era in medicine
The idea of using active matter for targeted drug delivery isn’t entirely new, notes Ramaswamy. Researchers have studied chemical gradient-based drug delivery (commonly called gradient swimmers) for a long time now. However, these early methods had limitations.
One of the main drawbacks was the unpredictability of these chemical reactions, which could sometimes be imprecise, leading to negative outputs. However, the recent advancements in robotics and nanotechnology have propelled the field of directed drug delivery with more accurate and effective drug delivery via nanobots.
Nanobots: The “Magic Bullet” of modern medicine
Nanobots are revolutionising drug delivery approaches worldwide. These microscopic robots are capable of moving across surfaces, locating and delivering medications directly to the target site. At the forefront of this cutting-edge research is Ambarish Ghosh, Professor at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) at IISc. Ghosh explains, “nanobots are programmed to search for specific targets such as cancerous tumours or sites of infection”. This level of precision, once unimaginable in medicine, holds the potential to vastly improve patient outcomes.
Ghosh further emphasises that the success of nanobots lies in their ability to autonomously navigate through the body and their potential to work collectively in swarm-like behaviour to enhance therapeutic effects.
Ghosh explains, “Motion is an important aspect in the functionality of these nanobots”. By harnessing external stimuli such as light, magnetic fields, or chemicals, researchers power the movements of these nanobots with a high degree of accuracy. This versatility makes them adaptable and customisable to fit the specific needs of the treatment. Additionally, with newer concepts, such as untethered/tethered swarm movements using hundreds of nanobots, the effectiveness of the treatment can be amplified.
The promise of nanobots in medicine
The potential applications of nanobots in medicine are vast, with several success stories already making waves in the scientific community. One of the most promising areas of research is the use of nanobots in cancer treatment. Ghosh highlights, “Nanobots aren’t just designed to skim the surface of a tumour, but now can penetrate inside the tumour and destroy cancer cells from inside.” This not only increases the effectiveness of the therapy but also reduces the risk of recurrence.
In addition to cancer, nanobots have shown promising results in different fields of the medical industry, including treatments and diagnostics.
Ghosh and his team have made remarkable strides in dentistry with their magnetic nanobots in clearing bacterial infections of the teeth. Chronic hepatitis, anaemia, and diagnostic procedures in the peritoneal cavity and gastric area are some of the other areas making progress in the area of drug delivery using nanobots. These developments reflect the growing potential of nanobots to revolutionise many aspects of healthcare.
Several startups are actively working towards advancing the field of active matter therapeutics. Bionaut is dedicated to working towards a cure for neurodegenerative disorders. Another notable player, Nanobots Therapeutics, focuses on treatments against bladder cancer. Additionally, Theranautilus, a homegrown Indian startup, was founded by Ghosh and his associates to provide cutting-edge solutions for drug delivery and medical procedures. These companies are front runners in pushing boundaries in targeted drug delivery approaches.
Challenges and the future of active matter therapeutics
Despite its promising applications, active matter therapeutics face significant challenges. One of the biggest obstacles in this field is navigating the complex tissue surfaces of the human body. The body’s intricate internal structure, combined with varying properties, presents a significant challenge while designing nanobots. For example, paving the way through the complex large intestine. Another critical issue is ensuring the safe removal of nanobots from the body after they complete their task. Ongoing research aims to overcome these challenges, and Ghosh remains optimistic about the future of this technology.
The future of active matter therapeutics is incredibly exciting, with clinical trials already underway for several promising treatments. Ghosh’s work on root canal treatments is one example of how active matter therapeutics is already transitioning from research to real-world applications. With continued research and development, it’s likely that nanobots will become an integral part of medical treatments in the near future, offering a safer, more efficient way to deliver drugs and treat various diseases.
Active matter therapeutics represent a paradigm shift in how we approach healthcare.
With nanobots leading the charge, the potential for targeted drug delivery is greater than ever. As the field continues to evolve, we may soon see a future where personalised medicine is the norm and nanobots are a common tool in the fight against diseases. The road ahead is not without its challenges, but the progress being made today offers hope for a healthier tomorrow.
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