Medical Microrobots Lab

My Grand Challenge goal of improving personalized medicine on the basis of 4 core principles —  minimal disruption to patient life, precise targeting of treatments, holistic cooperation with the human body’s normal systems, and financial accessibility — directed my work in Dr. Hakan Ceylan’s lab. The scope of my work from September 2022 to December 2023 (the Fall '22, Spring '23, Summer '23, and Fall '23 semesters) included developing magnetically actuated microrobots for sampling and delivering gut bacteria and delivering immune cells via magnetic steering. Through this, I have been able to advance and communicate the potential for wireless, touch-free medical therapies that simultaneously increase comfort and safety for the patient while reducing the design constraints and high cost barriers presented by electrical or chemical systems. My dedication to the project also stems from desiring to better model how the locality and species of gut bacteria influences chronic health conditions ranging from IBS to autoimmune diseases to colon cancer, since recent studies have proven that these internal ecosystems are interrelated with almost every aspect of human health. 

I created multiple iterations on different designs and manufacturing processes utilizing basic polymer base materials to create a bellows-based, magnetic-coercivity-driven GI tract capsule endoscope. I am also currently conducting the experiments and creating the figures and methodology for a paper on magnetically-steered Cellborgs for targeted immunotherapy. I have furthermore engaged in writing a literature review on the considerations for magnetic nanoparticles’ use in biomedical microrobots, so that this tool may be disseminated to other medical researchers and accelerate the end goal of helping patients.

Both the GI bot and Cellborg project have been in collaboration or regular communication with Mayo physicians, clearly demonstrating that the projects are oriented towards my GCSP theme of health. Furthermore, the biological and technological laboratory skills of cell culture, flow cytometry, 3D printing, PDMS molding, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, magnetic field generator control, and much more are testaments to the hands-on skills I have gained in the year and a half I worked at Mayo Clinic. My intellectual contributions to publications in progress also evidence the depth of the understanding I have attained through close collaboration with all members of Dr. Ceylan’s lab. Overall, this experience has provided me with a broad and deep range of skills in the area of magnetically controlled medical technologies, reinforcing my commitment to advancing precision medicine through innovative engineering solutions.