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Microrobotics

Dynamic control of 3D cell cultures

Nature Reviews Materials volume 10, page 885 (2025)Cite this article

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Three-dimensional cell models such as organoids and spheroids offer a promising way to study disease and test drugs, but building them is slow and unpredictable because the process relies on self-assembly driven by biological cues. Existing strategies such as hydrogels, bioprinting and microfluidics improve organization but lack real-time adaptability and dynamic control. Now, writing in Advanced Materials, Berna Özkale and colleagues present a soft microrobot that can move single cells, assemble spheroids and apply controlled heat while monitoring temperature.

Beyond cell assembly, the microrobot can function as both a localized heater and a temperature sensor. Rhodamine B embedded in the hydrogel enables fluorescence-based thermometry, as its emission intensity decreases predictably with temperature, allowing calibrated thermal mapping. Gold nanorods provide controlled photothermal stimulation when activated by near-infrared laser light. These features were used to map temperature gradients within spheroids and examine cellular responses to heat. Using this approach, the team identified temperature thresholds that activate thermosensitive ion channels and trigger stress responses, including apoptosis. When fibrosarcoma spheroids were exposed to photothermal stimulation combined with low-dose doxorubicin — a common chemotherapy drug — cancer cell invasion and viability decreased markedly, highlighting the platform’s role in exploring combined thermal and drug treatments for improved therapeutic outcomes.

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  1. Nature Reviews Materials http://www.nature.com/natrevmats/

    Charlotte Allard

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  1. Charlotte Allard
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Correspondence to Charlotte Allard.

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This text on an editorially selected paper was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then revised and fact-checked by an editor to meet Nature Portfolio publication standards.

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Allard, C. Dynamic control of 3D cell cultures. Nat Rev Mater 10, 885 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-025-00869-0

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