Human-cell Biobots Boost Neuron Growth Sans DNA Mods

Scientists made tiny living robots from human tracheal cells. These little biological robots can move and collaborate to help damaged neurons heal, and the best part is they can do it without changing any genes. These tiny bots could revolutionize how we treat diseases and help the body heal itself.

The scientists expanded on earlier research by Tufts and the University of Vermont, where they used cells from frog embryos to make a biobot called a Xenobot. This biobot could move around, remember things, and even fix itself. Back then, they weren’t sure if these abilities were specific to frog cells or if they could create a biobot using cells from other animals.

A New Study

In this new study, the scientists wanted to find out if they could take cells out of their usual homes and put them together in new ways to do different jobs. What they found was that they could make bots using cells from grown-up humans, and these bots could do more things without changing their genes.

“We wanted to see what cells can do beyond their usual jobs in the body,” explained Gizem Gumuskaya, the main researcher of the study. “By changing how cells talk to each other, we can make new structures with many cells working together, similar to how we can arrange stones and bricks to build different things like walls, arches, or columns.”

They started with cells from a human airway and created a new way of using them. They took advantage of the cells’ natural ability to form groups with tiny hair-like structures called cilia. They changed the process so that these hair-like structures were on the outside of the groups instead of the inside.

In a short time, the new cells, called Anthrobots by the researchers, started moving. They were powered by the tiny hair-like structures called cilia. When they grew completely, they varied in size from 30 to 500 microns. Some were round and had cilia all over, while others were uneven or shaped like footballs with cilia in patches. How the cilia were spread determined how the Anthrobots moved – either in loops or wiggles, straight or curved. Normally, these Anthrobots lived for about 45 to 60 days in the lab before they naturally broke down.

A Great Beginning

“Anthrobots put themselves together in the lab dish,” explained Gumuskaya. “They don’t need tweezers or scalpels to shape them, and we can use cells from grown-up people, including older patients, not just cells from embryos. This can be easily scaled up – we can make lots of these bots at the same time, which is a great beginning for creating a tool for therapy.”

The scientists grew a flat layer of human neurons in a dish in the lab. Then, they made a “wound” by scratching the cells with a thin metal rod, leaving an empty space. After that, they introduced a group of Anthrobots into the dish and watched as they moved across the surface of the neurons. The bots promoted the growth of new neurons, filling the gap caused by the wound and forming a bridge of neurons as strong as the healthy ones. Where the Anthrobots were not present, neurons didn’t grow in the wound.

More than what they usually do

“The groups of cells we make in the lab can do more than what they usually do in the body,” explained Michael Levin, another main author. “It’s interesting and surprising that regular cells from a patient’s airway, without changing their DNA, can move by themselves and help neurons grow in a damaged area. Now, we’re studying how this healing process happens and exploring what else these creations can achieve.”

A benefit of using human cells is that we can make bots from a person’s own cells to do medical tasks without causing an immune reaction or needing medication to suppress the immune system.

A Better Door

Making the bots even better could open the door to other uses, such as removing plaque from arteries, fixing injured spinal cords or eye nerves, identifying harmful bacteria or cancer cells, or transporting medicines to specific areas. In simple terms, Anthrobots might help fix tissues while also delivering drugs that support healing.

Read the Original Article: NEWATLAS

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