Title: Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and Soluble Cellular Adhesion Molecules as Activating Triggers for Nanorobots
1Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and Soluble Cellular
Adhesion Molecules as Activating Triggers for
Nanorobots Lior Rosen1, Adriano Cavalcanti2,
Moshe Rosenfeld1 and Shmuel Einav1 1Faculty of
Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv,
Israel 2Electrical and Computer Eng. School,
Unicamp, Campinas, Brazil.
INTRODUCTION
RESULTS
4
- Ongoing developments in molecular fabrication,
computation, sensors and motors will enable the
manufacturing of nanorobots nanoscale
biomolecular machine systems. - An elevated transcardiac gradient of soluble
adhesion molecules (such as sVCAM-1) and
pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as IL-6) may
reflect the endothelial dysfunction of a coronary
artery, and may be a predictive index of coronary
atherosclerosis progression. - It is well documented that a significant
temperature heterogeneity exists over plaque
surfaces, as inflamed plaques are hotter.
sVCAM-1 Levels and Blood Temperature Distributions
Rupture-prone site at distal edge
Rupture-prone site at proximal edge
sVCAM-1 Mass Fraction
sVCAM-1 Mass Fraction
- OBJECTIVES
- Constituting a novel simulation approach,
intended to be a platform for the design and
research of nanorobots control. - Establishing the triggering and control strategy
for nanorobots in the coronary arteries, using
clinical data regarding the distribution of IL-6,
sVCAM-1, and - the wall temperature in patients with acute
coronary - artery disease.
- Defining a range of nanorobot activation trigger
values, which would fit to various clinical cases.
Temperature (C0)
Temperature (C0)
Trigger Activation
Approaches for trigger activation include
analyzing time-gradients of temperature and
molecules concentration, as they change during
nanorobot locomotion. The trigger has been
defined as a function of concentration and
temperature time-gradients, utilizing their
correlation around the lesion. Activation occurs
when a predefined threshold is exceeded.
- MODEL ASSUMPTIONS
- 2-D Axisymmetric models of stenosed LAD coronary
arteries with varying diameter stenosis (20,
50, 90) are being investigated. - The inlet flow profile in the LAD coronary artery
serves as an inlet boundary condition. - Nanorobots are assumed to be equipped with
chemical sensors, able to detect time-gradients
in concentrations of specific molecules, and
time-gradients of temperature. When a predefined
threshold is exceeded, the nanorobot is
activated. - Nanorobots flow mainly in a near wall region
(The nanorobot freeway). - IL-6 and sVCAM-1 are being shed from
rupture-prone sites of the vulnerable plaque. - Various wall temperature profiles are simulated,
according to lesion macrophage and inflammatory
cells density.
Rupture-prone site at distal edge
Rupture-prone site at proximal edge
SUMMARY
- The present work, of combining a precise physical
simulation to establish the environment in which
nanorobots would inhabit, with nanorobot control
design simulator capable of modeling behavior,
has been shown to be of an extreme potential for
exploration of techniques, strategies, and
nanorobot mobility considerations. - An activating trigger based on both molecule
concentrations and temperature time-gradients has
been defined. This trigger may be implemented by
foreseeable technology. - This triggering approach can minimize the energy
required for a nanorobot to reach the
inflammation source, activating it close to the
target. - A delimited range of activation trigger values
was defined and shown to fit different cases of
rupture-prone sites of vulnerable plaques. - The results can assist in future design of
nanorobot sensors. - Future work would include analysis of the
nanorobots locomotion to the lesion after
trigger activation, and also - additional optimization and statistical
framework.