Reconfigurable Vortex Nanorobot Swarms Break the Laminar Flow Limitation in Thrombus Therapy — Featured on CCTV's Healthy China Program
Release time:
2026-05-25
Breaking the laminar flow limitation in thrombus therapy with reconfigurable vortex nanorobot swarms.
1. Research Background and Core Problem
Laminar blood flow is a normal physiological state of blood circulation, but it simultaneously constitutes a natural physiological barrier that impedes the effective diffusion of drugs toward lesions (such as thrombi). Conventional thrombolytic therapy is limited by this barrier, making it difficult for drugs to achieve effective concentrations locally at the thrombus site, resulting in low efficiency and a high risk of recurrence.
2. Innovative Strategy: Bioinspired Vortex Swarming
Inspired by bacteria that form vortices through collective motion to efficiently acquire food, the authors proposed a bioinspired "dynamic swarming" strategy. They designed and constructed biodegradable magnetic pentosan polysulfate flask-shaped nanorobots (MPFSNs) loaded with the thrombolytic drug urokinase (UPA). Under the regulation of a rotating magnetic field, individual nanorobots self-assemble into reconfigurable vortex-like swarms, actively generating local rotational hydrodynamic effects that confine drug diffusion and create a high-concentration drug "hot spot" near the thrombus, thereby breaking through the laminar barrier.
3. Construction and Characterization of Nanorobots
Morphology and Size: SEM shows that MPFSNs exhibit a uniform round-bottomed flask shape, with a total length of 720 ± 20 nm, a neck outer diameter of 304 ± 30 nm, and a bulb outer diameter of 510 ± 30 nm.
Magnetic Loading: Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (diameter ~20 nm) were successfully loaded into the cavity. STEM-EDX confirmed the coexistence of Br (UPA label) and Fe (magnetic particles) within the cavity. TGA showed that Fe₃O₄ accounted for 17.62% of the total mass.
Drug Release Mechanism: Under NIR laser (808 nm) irradiation, the temperature of the MPFSN suspension rose to 42°C within 2 minutes, and within 10 minutes, the fatty acid underwent a solid-liquid phase transition, triggering UPA release. The cumulative release rate increased with laser intensity from 45% at 0.5 W·cm⁻² to 63% at 1.5 W·cm⁻².
4. In Vivo Validation and Key Findings
Breaking the Laminar Barrier: In a rat model of inferior vena cava stenosis, the vortex nanorobot swarm successfully overcame the laminar barrier near the thrombus. This process was directly observed and confirmed using VINNO ultrasound diagnostic equipment for blood flow imaging.
Efficient Thrombolysis: In a rat deep vein thrombosis model, this strategy significantly enhanced thrombolytic efficacy through drug accumulation achieved after breaking the laminar barrier. In an in vitro stenotic vessel model, a 4 mm venous thrombus was cleared within 6 minutes.
5. Significance and Outlook
This work provides the first validation that nanorobot swarms can overcome hemodynamic barriers (laminar flow) for precision drug delivery in vivo through physical means, establishing a "dynamic swarming–flow manipulation–precision drug release" three-in-one active targeting mechanism. It represents a typical paradigm of interdisciplinary collaboration between engineering and medicine (Harbin Institute of Technology and Harbin Medical University) and lays an important foundation for advancing nanorobots from passive drug delivery to active targeted theranostics.
Featured on CCTV's Healthy China Program
China Central Television (CCTV-4) Healthy China program reported on this research achievement on May 24, 2026. The study confirmed that vortex swarms can effectively overcome the laminar barrier in rat thrombus models to achieve targeted drug enrichment. The report described this technology as "an important tool for precision tumor therapy and minimally invasive interventional treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases." The footage showed that the study used VINNO ultrasound equipment for blood flow imaging.
Featured on CCTV
Publication Information
Paper Title:
Breaking the Limitation of Laminar Flow in Thrombolytic Therapy with Reconfigurable Vortexlike Nanobot Swarms
Bibliographic Information:
Yang, T., et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2025, 64, e202425189. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202425189
Corresponding Authors:
Xiaoping Leng (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University), Qiang He (Harbin Institute of Technology)
Original Article Link:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/anie.202425189
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