Researchers at an institute in Mohali have developed an advanced light-driven multifunctional nanobot that could enable targeted breast cancer therapy. Nanobots are microscopic experimental machines designed to perform specific tasks at the nanoscale, roughly the size of individual molecules and small groups of atoms.
The technology could allow precise, externally controlled and minimally invasive treatment of breast tumours through localised therapeutic action, according to information shared by the Ministry of Science and Technology on Aug. 5.
Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. Conventional chemotherapy often causes severe side effects, drug resistance and damage to healthy tissues because of non-specific drug distribution, poor tumour penetration and the lack of active control after administration.
According to the ministry, current nanomedicines primarily rely on passive tumour accumulation, resulting in limited tissue penetration and poor spatial control. Most light-powered microbots and nanorobots also require ultraviolet or visible light, which has restricted tissue penetration and the potential to damage healthy tissues.
In contrast, stimulus-responsive nanorobots, controlled by external cues such as near-infrared light or magnetic fields, or internal cues such as enzymes, offer precise, targeted therapy with minimal systemic toxicity, making them a promising platform for precision medicine.
Scientists at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, sought to combine nanorobotics with phototherapy to develop an intelligent therapeutic platform capable of actively navigating in response to externally applied light while simultaneously delivering targeted cancer treatment.
The team, led by Dr Jiban Jyoti Panda of INST in collaboration with Dr Santosh K. Gupta of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, developed nanobots capable of efficiently converting near-infrared (NIR) light into heat while demonstrating directional movement in the presence of NIR.
Surface functionalisation of the nanobots with folic acid enables the selective recognition and targeting of breast cancer cells, enhancing tumour-specific phototherapeutic efficacy. The nanobots combine heat generation with the production of reactive oxygen species to destroy cancer cells, with the combined approach producing greater tumour inhibition than individual treatment methods.
The team demonstrated the technology’s therapeutic efficacy in both cellular models and breast tumour-bearing mice.
“The field of fuel-free light-powered nanobots and microbots with stimulus-responsive behaviour can have crucial implications for biomedical research,” the researchers said in their study, published in the peer-reviewed journal ‘ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces’.
