CUHK researchers develop nano-robot to treat stroke
Researchers from the Chinese University (CUHK) have developed a nanorobot to treat patients who have suffered strokes caused by blood clots. The head of the university's neurology division, Thomas Leung, told RTHK that a robot one-tenth the diameter of a blood vessel can be used in treating ischemic strokes, which occur when a blood clot obstructs an artery leading to the brain. Leung added that this new technology - deploying the 300 nanometre-sized robot to the blocked blood vessel to administer clot-busting medicines - will minimise the risks and side effects associated with stroke treatments. "This is actually a proof-of-concept study demonstrating the feasibility of sending nanorobots into the bloodstream for ischemic stroke treatment," he said. "Because the drug is highly concentrated in the brain, so we expect a much lower dose of thrombolytic drug is needed in the future, and the treatment will be safer in terms of bleeding complications compared to what we have now." Leung described this development as turning technology that previously only existed in science fiction into reality. However, he said such technology still has to overcome numerous challenges before clinical application - as there is only an 80 percent chance of successfully retrieving the nanorobot.  "We still have technical difficulties in retrieving all the robots after the treatment. And, we also need to overcome the technical challenge to monitor and visualise the movement of the troops in real time outside the body." he added. The CUHK scholar assured that the materials used in constructing the robot are safe for human use.