Biohybrid Ciliated Micro-robots for Autonomous Lesion Targeting

CiliaMAT drives new biomedical developments by developing CiliaBots – a new generation of soft microrobots engineered by combining smart materials and living, ciliated human cells. 

Leveraging complementary expertise in cell and organoid engineering (Nawroth, HMGU) and microrobotics (Qiu, DKFZ), CiliaMAT creates microrobots capable of rheotaxis (flow sensing) and chemotaxis (e.g. pH sensing). These capabilities allow CiliaBots to autonomously navigate inside the body through natural ciliary propulsion, steer toward tumor lesions, and release therapeutic compounds exactly where they are needed – thus, overcoming the limitations of traditional microrobotic systems and opening the door to minimally invasive, ultra‑precise treatments.
Driven by two integrated subprojects – development of responsive smart materials for steering and drug release (Qiu) and engineering aligned ciliated epithelia in 3D geometries for robust propulsion (Nawroth) - CiliaMAT will initially focus on high‑impact applications in lung and biliary cancer in close collaboration with clinical partners. 

The project advances multiple fields by (a) developing new biological methods to grow organized human ciliated epithelia on smart 3D materials, thus, enabling more lifelike tissue systems and (b) driving materials science forward through dynamic, biocompatible smart materials that support tissue engineering and sensitive biosensing. Building on these foundations, CiliaMAT achieves broad impact across biology, materials engineering, and robotics and positions its technology for successful future commercialization.