Development of a smart nanorobot that generates excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species under remote control via ultrasound.

Tracking and treating cancer using ultrasound remote control.

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (Minister Choi Yang-hee) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Chung Jin-yeop) announced that “they have developed the world’s first ultrasound dynamic therapy technology that can treat tumors without surgical intervention using a smart nanorobot remotely controlled by ultrasound.”

Smart nanorobots are nano-sized gold/titanium-based robots that, when injected into the body, track tumors and generate excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species under remote ultrasound control.

Ultrasound dynamic therapy technology is a technology that uses an ultrasound-sensitive agent that reacts to ultrasound to generate reactive oxygen species, thereby treating tumors located in internal organs without surgical intervention.

While various studies are being conducted to reduce the mortality rate from cancer, a new concept nano-medicine called a smart nanorobot has been developed that can treat tumors with almost no side effects by generating reactive oxygen species through remote ultrasound control, opening a new horizon in cancer treatment.

As molecules containing highly chemically reactive oxygen species, excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species kill cancer cells through oxidative stress.

In the first step, the research team synthesized a smart nanorobot based on biocompatible gold/titanium nanoparticles. This nanorobot is coated with carboxymethyl dextran, which has excellent biocompatibility, and has the ability to find tumor sites, and it was confirmed that it itself does not show toxicity to cells.

In the second stage, the research team successfully used a smart nanorobot, remotely controlled by ultrasound stimulation, to release excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species, which instantly kill cancer cells. Furthermore, they elucidated the mechanism by which the nanorobot releases these excess reactive oxygen species. The nanorobot, composed of gold/titanium nanoparticles, simultaneously acts as an antenna to receive ultrasound stimulation and generate excess reactive oxygen species, successfully establishing a remotely controlled system in response to ultrasound stimulation.

In the third phase, a therapeutic efficacy evaluation experiment was conducted in tumor-bearing animals for clinical application. The injected nanorobots found the tumor site and selectively accumulated there. The smart nanorobots were then remotely controlled by ultrasound to generate excessive amounts of reactive oxygen species that can kill cancer cells, successfully enhancing tumor treatment efficacy without surgical intervention.

Finally, it was confirmed that animals injected with nanorobots did not show any damage or toxicity to major organs in the body, such as the liver, lungs, spleen, kidneys, or heart.

Professor Park Jae-hyung explained the significance of the study, saying, "This research presents a new paradigm in tumor treatment by remotely controlling nanorobots with harmless ultrasound to treat cancer without the need for surgery or anticancer drugs. This technology is expected to overcome the limitations of existing tumor treatments and significantly contribute to reducing cancer mortality. Furthermore, if animal testing is successful and follow-up studies on the toxicity of nanorobots in the body are conducted, it could soon be applied to clinical trials."