3D-printed 'microfish' swim in bloodstream to deliver drugs
Scientists have created microscopic robot fish, smaller than a grain of sand, that can navigate the human bloodstream to deliver medicine directly to diseased tissue—a breakthrough that could transform treatment for cancer, infections, and other conditions while potentially eliminating the side effects of systemic drugs. The artificial swimmers, built using 3D printing and coated with biological membranes, represent the first time researchers have successfully combined synthetic engineering with nature's own camouflage to slip past the immune system. What was once pure science fiction is now moving toward clinical reality, raising urgent questions about how regulators will approve treatments that sound more like nanotechnology fantasy than conventional medicine.
WIRED·