(509b) Biohybrid Microswimmers with Biocompatible Polymeric Multilayers As Drug Delivery System

Biohybrid microswimmers have many potential applications in pharmaceutical research and developments, where the ability to target therapeutics inside human body is crucial. Unlike conventional drug delivery systems relying on passive drug release mechanisms, biohybrid microsimmers enable to deliver a drug actively and selectively to the targeted areas with increased efficacy while avoiding negative side effects. These microswimmers are composed of single gram-negative bacterium attached to the surface of drug-encapsulateded microparticles incorporated with layer-by-layer (LbL) polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM). The usage of PEM in a method provides for the binding of the bacterial membrane and the outermost layer of the microparticle. Herein, we demonstrate a systematic method for bacteria-driven microswimmers incorporated with a gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli MG1655 and PEM microparticles fabricated by the LbL technique, which encapsulate the chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (DOX) and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CFX). Our results reveal the capabilities of a nonpathogenic bacteria to trigger drug release by the acidic microenvironment, indicating biohybrid microswimmers have great potential for targeted active drug delivery applications.