Snail-inspired robots target precise bowel cancer drug delivery

Researchers at The University of Manchester are developing miniature soft robots inspired by snail locomotion to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to bowel tumors, aiming to improve precision in colorectal cancer treatment. Funded by nearly £1 million from UK Research and Innovation, the project addresses the limitations of current drug delivery methods that often affect healthy tissue. These robots use slime-based, rhythmic movements mimicking snails’ adhesive and wave-like motion to navigate the complex gastrointestinal environment, anchor within malignant tissue, and release therapeutic agents in a controlled manner. This targeted approach is expected to increase drug concentration at tumor sites while minimizing off-target toxicity. The robots are constructed from peptide-based bionanomaterials that can be molecularly tuned and respond to external triggers such as magnetic fields, enabling non-invasive, real-time control by clinicians. Researchers are also generating high-resolution datasets on snail movement and mucus interaction to develop machine learning models and digital twin simulations, which will refine robot behavior and improve design accuracy before clinical testing. Beyond cancer treatment, this