It turns out that biological robots encourage neuron growth when they are free!

Scientists at Tufts University have made a groundbreaking discovery: the airway cells in our lungs, typically known as stationary cells,
can transform into mobile biological robots capable of repairing damaged nerve tissue in the lab.

Imagine a world where your body's cells, those known as stationary and immobile, become tiny robots capable of repairing damaged tissues.
Sounds like science fiction? Well, not anymore!
Researchers at Tufts University have made a groundbreaking discovery: the airway cells in our lungs, commonly called "epithelial cells,"
can transform into mobile biological "anthrobots" capable of encouraging the regrowth of neurons in a petri dish.

In the past, it was commonly thought that epithelial cells in the respiratory tract only served as "gatekeepers"—filters that neutralize harmful substances from the air we breathe.
However, Tufts researchers challenged this traditional view.
Instead of growing the airway cells within a gel-like matrix that holds them in place, they used a liquid medium that allowed the cells to move freely.
These conditions caused the cells to spontaneously organize into remarkable moving spheres, propelled by tiny hair-like "cilia."

Scientific Breakthrough:

This discovery, published in the prestigious scientific journal Advanced Science, presents a completely new concept regarding the function of human cells.
Until now, it was commonly thought that airway cells, known as epithelial cells, were only meant to help neutralize harmful substances from the air we breathe.
However, these studies show that these cells have immense additional potential: the ability to move, the ability to self-organize, and the ability to encourage tissue repair under laboratory conditions.

The Birth of Anthrobots:

These moving spheres, called "anthrobots," exhibited fascinating properties:

• Self-motion: The anthrobots can move independently within the liquid, using their cilia as motors.
• Self-organization ability: The cells spontaneously organized into moving spheres, without the need for external intervention.
• Encouraging neuron growth in the lab: When anthrobots were placed on a layer of damaged human nerve cells in a petri dish, they caused the growth of new neural tissue along the damaged area. It is important to note that the result was observed only in cell culture, and the researchers themselves emphasize that they do not yet know exactly how the process occurs.

Similar Research: A team of researchers from the Harbin Institute of Technology in China demonstrated a similar capability in white blood cells.
These cells, known as part of the immune system, were utilized as tiny "robots" to deliver drugs in a targeted manner to brain tumors, while crossing the blood-brain barrier (a study published in the journal Science Robotics in 2021). This involves drug delivery application, not tissue repair.

Far-reaching Implications:

This discovery opens the door to a new world of potential possibilities in regenerative medicine.
It is possible that in the future, if the research progresses from the lab to the living body, we could use these anthrobots to repair damaged organs and tissues and even address aging processes.
However, at this stage, these are only speculative future possibilities: all results so far have been achieved under laboratory conditions, and there is still a long way to go before medical application in humans.

References:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202303575