| Abstract Scope |
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies due to aggressive progression, poor prognosis, and limited efficacy of conventional therapies. While microorganism-based microrobots have emerged as promising active drug delivery platforms, cancer-specific targeting applications remain limited. Here, we propose a biohybrid algae microrobot that integrates the intrinsic motility of living microalgae with genetically engineered surface targeting for selective pancreatic cancer recognition. A high-specificity pancreatic cancer-targeting ligand, identified from prior literature, was incorporated via a genetic surface-display system to present the targeting molecule on the algal surface while preserving native mobility. Engineered microalgae will be characterized for surface expression, viability, and locomotion to confirm that genetic modification does not compromise essential microrobot properties, followed by comparative targeting assays against pancreatic cancer cells versus non-malignant controls. By coupling active propulsion with molecular-level tumor recognition, this platform aims to overcome the limitations of passive targeting and conventional delivery systems, systems, establishing a foundation for algae-based microrobots in pancreatic cancer-targeted drug delivery, molecular imaging, and precision therapeutics. |