Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-15-2022
Department
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Abstract
Traditional open surgery complications are typically due to trauma caused by accessing the procedural site rather than the procedure itself. Minimally invasive surgery allows for fewer complications as microdevices operate through small incisions or natural orifices. However, current minimally invasive tools typically have restricted maneuverability, accessibility, and positional control of microdevices. Thermomagnetic-responsive microgrippers are microscopic multi-fingered devices that respond to temperature changes due to the presence of thermal-responsive polymers. Polymeric devices, made of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (pNIPAM-AAc) and polypropylene fumarate (PPF), self-fold due to swelling and contracting of the hydrogel layer. In comparison, soft metallic devices feature a pre-stressed metal bilayer and polymer hinges that soften with increased temperature. Both types of microdevices can self-actuate when exposed to the elevated temperature of a cancerous tumor region, allowing for direct targeting for biopsies. Microgrippers can also be doped to become magnetically responsive, allowing for direction without tethers and the retrieval of microdevices containing excised tissue. The smaller size of stimuli-responsive microgrippers allows for their movement through hard-to-reach areas within the body and the successful extraction of intact cells, RNA and DNA. This review discusses the mechanisms of thermal- and magnetic-responsive microdevices and recent advances in microgripper technology to improve minimally invasive surgical techniques.
Publication Title
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
Recommended Citation
Dunn, C.,
Lee, B.,
&
Rajachar, R.
(2022).
Thermomagnetic-Responsive Self-Folding Microgrippers for Improving Minimally Invasive Surgical Techniques and Biopsies.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland),
27(16).
http://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27165196
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/16326
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Version
Publisher's PDF
Publisher's Statement
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27165196