Adaptive intrathecal nanorobotics in mice and nonhuman primates for navigated CNS therapy.

Authors

Yumeng Lu, Xinjian Fan, Chengjuan Fan, Gongzi Zhang, Hui Cui, Yiran Jiang, Shuwei Zhang, Yuxin Jia, Renfeng Dong, He Tan, Lihai Zhang, Zhiguang Wu

Published in

Science advances. Volume 12. Issue 31. Pages eaec2918. Jul 31, 2026. Epub Jul 31, 2026.

Abstract

Intrathecal delivery for central nervous system (CNS) therapy lacks spatiotemporal control due to spinal canal anatomical constraints, especially at human scale. We developed an adaptive magnetic nanorobotic platform enabling multimode swarm mobility for in vivo spinal canal navigation in mice and nonhuman primates. Programmable chain-like, vortex-like, and ribbon-like swarm were accomplished, and vortex swarm was indicated as optimal strategy for adaptive intrathecal navigation. Driven by a robotic arm-generated magnetic field, the vortex swarms indicate navigation within spinal canal over centimeter distances, which magnetically enhanced accumulation at CNS target sites and prolonged their in vivo retention, thereby substantially enhancing their therapeutic efficacy compared with conventional passive intravascular delivery, with minimal side effects. Tests in nonhuman primates indicate that the nanorobotic swarm migration is from the gap between the bundles of cauda equina and then the spin cord, revealing their morphological adaption at the cauda equina interface to circumvent anatomical constraints.

PMID:
42536754
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Aug 2026.

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