TINY robots made from algae could shrink lung cancer tumours and boost survival by 40 per cent, scientists claim. The pond scum bots swim through the body fluids, delivering chemotherapy directly to the lungs. 2 Tiny microrobots made from pond scum could shrink lung cancer tumours and boost survival by 40 per cent Credit: UCSD Zhengxing Li, from the University of California, San Diego, said: "By more effectively delivering chemotherapy to diseased lung tissues, our biohybrid microrobots significantly improved therapeutic outcomes by shrinking lung tumours and extending survival.
" They have only tested it on mice so far, but a new study has suggested the mini machines are more effective than conventional pills and IV drips. Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer, leading to more than 35,000 deaths a year. Chemo is typically administered through an IV drip or tablet, both of which involve the medicine being carried throughout the body.
But on its way to the lungs, some of the drugs can get lost, meaning not enough reaches to the places needed to destroy tumour cells. The new algae robots have been created to carry the chemotherapy drug directly to the lungs, which they push deep into hard-to-reach tumours. They are covered in red blood cells, which act as a natural "camouflage", stopping it from being attacked by the patient's immune system.
2 They are covered in red blood cells, which act as a natural "camouflage" stopping it from being attacked by the patient's immun.