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Bio-Design and Manufacturing  2026 Vol.9 No.2 P.399 - 414

http://doi.org/10.1631/bdm.2500276


Diatom-derived magnetic biohybrid microrobots for photodynamic therapy in glioblastoma


Author(s):  Mengyue Li, Wen Cheng, Xuechun Wang, Junjian Zhou, Yuting Zhou, Tianyang Ma, Anhua Wu, Lianqing Liu, Niandong Jiao

Affiliation(s):  1. School of Computer Science, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, 430074, China more

Corresponding email(s):   ahwu@cmu.edu.cn, ahwu@cmu.edu.cn, ahwu@cmu.edu.cn

Key Words:  Diatom, Biohybrid microrobots, Autonomous movement, Photodynamic therapy, Glioblastoma


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Mengyue Li. Diatom-derived magnetic biohybrid microrobots for photodynamic therapy in glioblastoma[J]. Journal of Zhejiang University Science D, 2026, 9(2): 399 - 414.

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Abstract: 
diatoms, as natural sources of porous silica, have important potential for biomedical applications. biohybrid microrobots also show promise for targeted delivery; however, research on converting diatoms into biohybrid microrobots and exploiting their intrinsic properties for cancer treatment remains limited. In this study,Thalassiosira weissflogiiwas transformed into biohybrid microrobots (Mag-diatoms) while retaining its natural chlorophyll, thereby enabling Mag-diatom-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) without additional drug modification. In this system, Mag-diatoms acted as microrobots, and their intrinsic chlorophyll served as a photosensitizer, exhibiting excellent biological safety. The autonomous closed-loop motion of the Mag-diatoms was achieved using an artificial intelligence algorithm, which enabled controlled navigation along a preset trajectory. Mag-diatoms also exhibited the ability to traverse narrow slits and target cancer cells within a cellular environment. The PDT effect was validated in vitro using human malignant glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines and primary cells derived from patients. The results revealed that the cell viability was closely related to the Mag-diatom concentration, laser intensity, and irradiation time. Under combined Mag-diatoms and laser treatment, viability decreased to 19.5% in primary cells and 3.6% in cell line models. Moreover, in vivo experiments using a mouse glioma model revealed that Mag-diatom-mediated PDT effectively suppressed GBM progression. These findings highlight the potential of diatom-derived biohybrid microrobots, leveraging their natural properties, as a novel material and solution for PDT-based GBM therapy.

Diatom-derived magnetic biohybrid microrobots for photodynamic therapy in glioblastoma

硅藻作为一种天然多孔二氧化硅材料, 具有重要的生物医学应用潜力。 生物混合微米机器人在靶向递送方面也展现出良好前景; 然而, 将硅藻转化为生物混合微米机器人并利用其固有特性进行癌症治疗的研究仍相对有限。 本研究将威氏海链藻 (Thalassiosira weissflogii) 转化为生物混合微米机器人 (MagDiatoms), 并保留其内部叶绿素, 从而实现了无需额外药物修饰的 MagDiatoms 介导光动力治疗。 在该体系中, Mag-Diatoms 作为微米机器人表现出良好的生物安全性, 而叶绿素则充当光敏剂。 借助人工智能算法, Mag-Diatoms 实现了自主闭环运动, 能够沿预设轨迹进行可控导航。 Mag-Diatoms 还表现出能够穿过狭窄缝隙并在细胞环境中向癌细胞靶向运动的能力。 在体外, 利用人类恶性胶质母细胞瘤 (GBM) 细胞系和患者来源的原代细胞验证了其光动力治疗效果。 结果表明, 细胞存活率与 Mag-Diatoms 的浓度、 激光强度及照射时间密切相关。 经 Mag-Diatoms 与激光联合处理, 原代细胞的存活率降至 19.5%, 细胞系模型的存活率降至 3.6%。 此外, 基于小鼠脑胶质瘤模型的体内实验表明, Mag-Diatoms 介导的光动力疗法可有效抑制脑胶质母细胞瘤的生长。 这些结果突显了基于硅藻的生物混合微米机器人利用其天然特性, 作为脑胶质母细胞瘤光动力治疗的新型材料与解决方案的潜力。
Diatom; Biohybrid microrobots; Autonomous movement; Photodynamic therapy; Glioblastoma

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