Gear-like MOF microrobots for single cell mechanotransduction of microvilli

  • Nat Commun. 2026 Feb 26;17(1):3254. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70052-8.
Xiaoxia Liu  1  2 ,  Yong Wang  3 ,  Lin Lin  4 ,  Ning Liu  5 ,  Zihao Yang  6 ,  Peng Wang  1 ,  Xiaohui Yan  4 ,  Jinhong Guo  7  8 ,  Dongdong Jin  9 ,  Xing Ma  10
Affiliations
  • 1. Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, School of Integrated Circuits, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China.
  • 2. School of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Imaging, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.
  • 3. Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Chinese Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China. [email protected].
  • 4. State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics & Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
  • 5. School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
  • 6. School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.
  • 7. Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Chinese Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
  • 8. School of Automation and Intelligent Sensing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
  • 9. Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, School of Integrated Circuits, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China. [email protected].
  • 10. Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, School of Integrated Circuits, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China. [email protected].
PMID: 41748583 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70052-8
Abstract

Cellular mechanotransduction, mediated by specialized structures such as microvilli, regulates processes ranging from tissue homeostasis to disease progression. Existing tools for microvilli-specific biomechanical intervention suffer from limited spatiotemporal precision and non-physiological constraints, restricting mechanistic studies and targeted therapies. Here, we develop a magnetically driven gear-like metal-organic framework microrobot (MOFbot) for programmable mechanical manipulation of single-cell microvilli. MOFbots are fabricated through epitaxial growth of heterogeneous MOF structures followed by deposition of Ni/Au nanofilms. Under a rotating magnetic field, they perform rolling and obstacle negotiation. Their rotating gear structure entangles microvilli, exerting quantified pulling forces via Förster resonance energy transfer and traction force microscopy. This mechanical stimulation triggers intracellular calcium influx and enhanced focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation, indicating mechanotransduction pathway activation. Consequently, rotating MOFbots increase membrane permeability, enabling on-demand transmembrane delivery of therapeutics into targeted single cells. This work establishes a targeted cellular mechanomodulation strategy and informs future micro/nanorobotic biomedical designs.

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