Microscale robots are being considered for next-generation biomedical applications due to their ability to swim through viscous fluids, change conformation, and interact with cells on command. Magnetically responsive microrobots are of particular interest due to the biocompatibility and spatiotemporal control of magnetic fields. While the non-equilibrium dynamics (e.g., swimming, grabbing) of such microrobots are being studied extensively, the potential effects of these dynamics on immune cell phenotypes have not been investigated to date. This gap in knowledge may be important in determining how these devices are used in surveying or treating various diseases. To address this gap in knowledge, we used magnetically reconfigurable microrobots to study innate immune cell responses to cyclic folding. <i>In vitro</i>, we observed that macrophages—highly plastic innate immune cells—are activated by microrobot actuation in a 2D plane. We observed an increase in the expression of key markers such as arginase-1 and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-II compared to non-actuating controls. Further, we examined a panel of innate immune cells <i>ex vivo</i> after microneedling murine skin explants to study magnetic actuation in 3D, studying cellular responses explants using a combination of molecular expression by flow cytometry and cytokine secretion by ELISA. Our results uncover surprising findings that illustrate a need for more rigorous analyses of biological responses to enable the rational pairing of microrobots for use in specific biomedical applications.

Elucidating the immunological effects of magnetically reconfiguring microrobots

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