Date: August 23, 2025

Publisher: Jinan University Integrated Media Center

Recently, Professor Xin Hongbao's team from the College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering  at Jinan University has made significant progress in the field of light-controlled living cell microrobots. By integrating optical micro-manipulation with biological cell function regulation, the team successfully developed a light-controlled macrophage immune microrobot (Phagobot), achieving precise targeted clearance of biological threats both in vitro and in vivo. The research has been published as a cover paper in the top-tier international optics journal Light: Science & Applications, and widely reported by global science outlets such as Science Magazine and Science Blog.

Innate immune cells such as macrophages possess the ability to rapidly respond to pathogen invasion, engulf senescent cells, and attack cancer cells. However, precisely controlling their functional activation and directional behavior has remained a challenge. While existing approaches can manipulate cell movement via physical fields or regulate cellular functions through exogenous materials or genetic engineering, these methods often face limitations such as immune rejection or operational complexity.

Professor Xin's team proposed an innovative solution: using near-infrared light to activate and control macrophages without requiring exogenous materials or gene editing. By irradiating the cell membrane with a focused near-infrared beam (wavelength 1064 nm, spot diameter ~2 μm, power 60–80 mW), localized photothermal effects activate temperature-sensitive ion channels, triggering calcium influx, enhancing mitochondrial energy metabolism, and driving massive reactive oxygen species production. This process activates the macrophage’s immune function within 3 minutes, inducing pseudopod extension. Subsequently, optical force (~35 pN) is applied to direct pseudopod migration, enabling precise navigation of the microrobot and phagocytic clearance of targets such as fungi, bacteria, microplastics, and cancer cell debris.

In live animal experiments, the team introduced Phagobot into the intestinal tract of zebrafish, where it cleared pathological cell debris within 12 minutes. Continuous observation for over 1.5 hours showed no impairment in zebrafish viability, confirming the high biocompatibility of this technology.

Compared to traditional biological microrobots, the light-controlled macrophage immune microrobot represents a leap from simple physical motion to an “intelligent cellular combat unit.” This non-genetically dependent optical regulation strategy offers a new approach for immunotherapy and precise lesion clearance, combining high biocompatibility with operational simplicity.

Cover image of the paper.

The first author of the paper is PhD candidate Li Xing, and the corresponding authors are Professor Xin Hongbao and Associate Professor Pan Ting.

Paper link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-025-01881-3