Reconfigurable Magnetic Microswarm for Thrombolysis under Ultrasound Imaging

Abstract

We propose thrombolysis using a magnetic nanoparticle microswarm with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) under ultrasound imaging. The microswarm is generated in blood using an oscillating magnetic field and can be navigated with locomotion along both the long and short axis. By modulating the input field, the aspect ratio of the microswarm can be reversibly tuned, showing the ability to adapt to different confined environments. Simulation results indicate that both in-plane and out-of-plane fluid convection are induced around the microswarm, which can be further enhanced by tuning the aspect ratio of the microswarm. Under ultrasound imaging, the microswarm is navigated in a microchannel towards a blood clot and deformed to obtain optimal lysis. Experimental results show that the lysis rate reaches -0.1725 ± 0.0612 mm 3 /min in the 37°C blood environment under the influence of the microswarm-induced fluid convection and tPA. The lysis rate is enhanced 2.5-fold compared to that without the microswarm (-0.0681 ± 0.0263 mm 3 /min). Our method provides a new strategy to increase the efficiency of thrombolysis by applying microswarm-induced fluid convection, indicating that swarming micro/nanorobots have the potential to act as effective tools towards targeted therapy. © 2020 IEEE.