Inhaled magnetic microbots to deliver chemotherapy directly to lung tumors
Official title: Aerosolized microbots as a platform for targeted lung therapy
Funded at Colorado School of Mines · NIH-11306085 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will use tiny inhaled magnetic microbots to carry chemotherapy straight to lung tumors to help people with lung cancer get stronger doses where needed with fewer whole-body side effects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Colorado School of Mines NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Golden, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2025 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $301,774 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EB037377-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11306085 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people with lung tumors located in or accessible from the airways, typically those with localized or regionally advanced lung cancer who can tolerate inhaled therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with cancers located outside the lungs, widely metastatic disease, or those who cannot safely inhale aerosols (for example severe uncontrolled COPD or other breathing limitations) are unlikely to benefit.
What this research studies
You would inhale a spray of microscopic parts that assemble into tiny magnetic ‘microbots’ inside the lung. External magnets would steer those microbots along airways to reach and deliver chemotherapy directly to the tumor. After treatment the microbots would disassemble into small beads that the lungs can clear naturally. The team will refine the magnetic guidance and delivery first in lab-grown two- and three-dimensional lung models before moving toward studies that could involve people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could concentrate chemotherapy in lung tumors while reducing systemic toxicities like heart or kidney damage.
How similar studies have gone: Lab and early animal work on magnetic microrobots and targeted inhaled delivery show promise, but assembling inhaled microbots in human lungs for chemotherapy delivery is largely novel and unproven in people.
Where this research is happening
-
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Marr, David Wm — Colorado School of Mines
- Study coordinator: Marr, David Wm
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.