Blood clots are a common and potentially life-threatening condition. Current treatments include administering medications that can have harmful side effects, such as excessive bleeding, and/or removal of the clot with a catheter, which may be difficult due to complex bends in the vasculature. Untethered magnetic robots (UMRs) have shown potential in the targeted delivery of drugs and navigation to hard-to-reach areas of the body. Additionally, dissolvable UMRs would not require subsequent retrieval after completing the procedure. Therefore, this thesis will focus on the development of dissolvable UMRs for the removal of blood clots via localised drug delivery.
Objectives:
- Develop dissolvable material for UMR design that is biocompatible and allows for robust magnetic control
- Optimise UMR dissolution time for rapid release of the drug while simultaneously ensuring delivery to the target area
- Validation of UMR design in ex vivo animal model