Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41337587›Full record

ArticleScience advances2025

Ultrasoft hydrogel immune millirobot with multimodal locomotion.

Zhiqiang Zheng, Sinan Ozgun Demir, Anping Wu, Shihao Zhong, Zhengyuan Xin, Chunxu Yuan, Huaping Wang, Metin Sitti, Yu Sun, Lixin Dong

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Zhiqiang ZhengDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7077-5635
Sinan Ozgun DemirPhysical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart 70569, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6177-8372
Anping WuIntelligent Robotics Institute, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.ORCID 0009-0002-3562-7770
Shihao ZhongIntelligent Robotics Institute, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.ORCID 0000-0001-5710-1767
Zhengyuan XinIntelligent Robotics Institute, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.ORCID 0009-0002-5053-701X
Chunxu YuanAnimal Navigation, Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
Huaping WangIntelligent Robotics Institute, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8440-3402
Metin SittiPhysical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart 70569, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8249-3854
Yu SunDepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G8, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7895-0741
Lixin DongDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.ORCID 0000-0002-8816-4944

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Advancements in cellular immunotherapy demanded efficient immune cell delivery. To meet this need, we introduced hydrogel-based immune millirobots designed for high immune cell loading and precise tumor targeting. These ultrasoft robots, embedded with magnetic nanoparticles, exhibited adaptable locomotion: walking, rolling, climbing, and undulating, enabling navigation through complex biological environments and alignment with varied tumor morphologies. They responded to magnetic fields and ionic or pH changes, facilitating propulsion, grasping, and localized delivery. In vitro, the millirobots eradicated three-dimensional tumor models in four days; in vivo, they notably reduced tumor growth in HepG2-luc tumor-bearing nude mice within 15 days. Bioluminescence imaging confirmed enhanced natural killer cell activity at tumor sites. The robots demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability and caused no adverse effects postimplantation. This work showcased a responsive, soft robotic system with potential for advancing immune cell delivery and exploring tumor-immune dynamics in cancer therapy.

Indexed as

HydrogelsImmunotherapyMagnetite NanoparticlesAnimalsHep G2 CellsHumansKiller Cells, NaturalMiceMice, NudeNeoplasmsRoboticsXenograft Model Antitumor AssaysHydrogelsMagnetite Nanoparticles

Identifiers

PMID41337587
PMCPMC12674119

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.