Targeted Single-Cell Therapeutics With Magnetic Tubular Micromotor By One-Step Exposure Of Structured Femtosecond Optical Vortices

Selective manipulation of specific single cells for therapeutics is important and highly desirable in biomedical research. As a simple and maneuverable tool, tubular micromotors have displayed appealing applications in encapsulation and transportation of cells. However, so far there are no reports on the simultaneous transportation of target single cells and the drugs with microtubes in a custom arrayed environment for targeted therapeutics. Moreover, fabrication of microtubes with 3D features in a reproducible and single-step fashion, while, endowing them with the ability of remote control, remains challenging. In this study, a novel method for one-step fabrication of magnetic 3D tubular micromotors by single exposure of structured optical vortices in a magnetic photoresist is presented. The size and geometry of fabricated microtubes are flexibly controlled in three dimensions. Precise propelling of the tubular micromotors and precise capture, targeted delivery, and release of SiO2 microparticles are realized. Finally, as a proof-of-concept demonstration, in situ observation of the development of doxorubicin in Hela cells for therapeutic study is performed by targeted delivery of single cells and drug particles. The technology is simple and stable, which has promising applications in targeted cell therapy, drug screening, single cell studies, and other biomedical areas.