Physical Intelligence

Biohybrid microtube swimmers driven by single captured bacteria

2017

Article

pi

icm


Bacteria biohybrids employ the motility and power of swimming bacteria to carry and maneuver microscale particles. They have the potential to perform microdrug and cargo delivery in vivo, but have been limited by poor design, reduced swimming capabilities, and impeded functionality. To address these challenge, motile Escherichia coli are captured inside electropolymerized microtubes, exhibiting the first report of a bacteria microswimmer that does not utilize a spherical particle chassis. Single bacterium becomes partially trapped within the tube and becomes a bioengine to push the microtube though biological media. Microtubes are modified with “smart” material properties for motion control, including a bacteria-attractant polydopamine inner layer, addition of magnetic components for external guidance, and a biochemical kill trigger to cease bacterium swimming on demand. Swimming dynamics of the bacteria biohybrid are quantified by comparing “length of protrusion” of bacteria from the microtubes with respect to changes in angular autocorrelation and swimmer mean squared displacement. The multifunctional microtubular swimmers present a new generation of biocompatible micromotors toward future microbiorobots and minimally invasive medical applications.

Author(s): Stanton, Morgan M and Park, Byung-Wook and Miguel-López, Albert and Ma, Xing and Sitti, Metin and Sánchez, Samuel
Journal: Small
Volume: 13
Number (issue): 19
Pages: 1603679
Year: 2017

Department(s): Physical Intelligence, Theory of Inhomogeneous Condensed Matter
Research Project(s):
Bibtex Type: Article (article)
Paper Type: Journal

DOI: 10.1002/smll.201603679

BibTex

@article{stanton2017biohybrid,
  title = {Biohybrid microtube swimmers driven by single captured bacteria},
  author = {Stanton, Morgan M and Park, Byung-Wook and Miguel-López, Albert and Ma, Xing and Sitti, Metin and Sánchez, Samuel},
  journal = {Small},
  volume = {13},
  number = {19},
  pages = {1603679},
  year = {2017},
  doi = {10.1002/smll.201603679}
}