New group to address gynecology and infertility healthcare challenges

Mariana Medina-Sánchez is a leading Colombian mechatronics engineer. After obtaining her PhD at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) in Barcelona, she joined the Leibniz Institute Dresden (IFW Leibniz) in Germany and focused her career on the development of medical microrobots for assisted reproduction and localized release of therapies for the treatment of gynecological cancer. Early in 2024, Mariana Medina-Sánchez joined nanoGUNE as an Ikerbasque Research Professor, where she is forming her new research group and setting up a new laboratory to provide her research career with continuity.

One of the research lines that Medina-Sánchez has opened at nanoGUNE focuses on the development of micro- and nanotools for the transport and release of gametes or embryos with the aim of assisting in vivo reproduction in cases of infertility. Infertility poses a significant medical challenge, in fact, 1 in 6 couples across the world suffer from infertility, and in vitro fertilization represents a good alternative for assisted reproduction. However, embryo transfer rates are low, as only one third of women achieve clinical pregnancy. So “exploring a method to transport and release high-quality gametes or embryos into the fallopian tubes may be essential. On the experimental level, this method will guarantee an environment that is more physiological for the embryo and synchronized with endometrial preparation. “Our group will be developing multifunctional microrobots for the noninvasive transfer of sperm or embryos, as well as in vivo imaging tools to guide these microrobots remotely in living organisms using magnetic fields or ultrasound,” pointed out Prof. Medina-Sánchez.

In fact, “in one of my most recent projects”, said Medina-Sánchez, “we are aiming to revolutionize healthcare by developing biocompatible, biodegradable microrobots designed to assist in the transport and delivery of localized therapies. These microrobots are soft, biodegradable and loaded with drugs in the form of tiny capsules (between 20 and 120 micrometers in diameter). Magnetic control enables them to move autonomously and operate for more than 10 hours. They also include enzymatic nanoreactors enabling their programmed self-destruction, and agents to facilitate their real-time monitoring by means of ultrasound and photoacoustic techniques”. She added that “this technology highlights the potential of a new generation of controllable drug carriers for precise, less invasive therapies”. 

According to the head of nanoGUNE's nanoBiosystems group, “although we will be focusing primarily on addressing the healthcare challenges of gynecology and infertility, our research also addresses wider medical issues, thus contributing to solutions in a range of fields, such as the early diagnosis of infectious diseases like SARS-CoV-2 and the development of micro- scaffolds to explore the differentiation, proliferation and migration of stem cells for the study of bone formation at the single cell level”. 

The group's lines of research include the development of advanced microfluidic nanobiosensors to detect minute levels of analytes in real samples, such as cancer biomarkers and infertility factors, using micro- and nanomanufacturing techniques and spectroscopy. In addition, medical micro- and nanorobots, inspired by nature and designed to operate on a cellular level, will be explored; they facilitate in vivo diagnostics and therapies, including controlled drug delivery. 

The group will also be focusing on the creation of intelligent sensor and actuator systems on organ-on-a-chip platforms, which not only replicate specific anatomical features, but also aspects of the microenvironment and epithelium, such as that of fallopian tubes. This will optimize the design and function of the tools developed for personalized in situ diagnostics and treatment, thus helping to reduce the number of experiments on animals. Work will also be carried out to develop in vivo imaging and control technologies to guarantee the operation of these micro- and nanodevices in complex biological environments.

Collaboration and new labs

To develop all these cutting-edge research lines, nanoGUNE has had the collaboration of IIS Biogipuzkoa, since a shared laboratory has been established for the testing of these tools in vivo by facilitating access to relevant patient tissue and samples. 

The nanoGUNE laboratory is equipped with innovative equipment, including a closed-loop control system that uses magnetic fields in three dimensions for the remote handling of these microrobots in underlying tissue. This system is coupled to ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging technologies and employs deep learning algorithms to improve the efficiency of micro-robot detection. It also offers the possibility of optimizing trajectories and adapting the movement of micro-robots under dynamic conditions. 

In addition, there is a cell culture laboratory equipped with various characterization techniques. Several fluorescence microscopes coupled to magnetic control and microhandling systems have been set up in this laboratory. NanoGUNE also has a clean room housing a range of lithography equipment, including a recently acquired device for the 3D printing of microstructures using two-photon absorption. Likewise, there is metal and oxide deposition equipment, which allows micro and nanodevices of diverse natures to be produced. In the laboratory shared with Biogipuzkoa, another piece of preclinical biomedical imaging equipment will be installed and will be accompanied by a scaled system for the in vivo magnetic control of these devices.

The acquisition of the new scientific equipment necessary to develop the group's lines of research has been co-financed by the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council's Network Programme.

Mariana Medina-Sánchez

Mariana Medina-Sánchez has a degree in Mechatronic Engineering from the San Buenaventura University of Bogotá (Colombia), a Master's degree in Nanotechnology, and a PhD in Biotechnology from the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) in Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. During her stay in Barcelona, Dr. Medina-Sánchez focused on the development of electrochemical biosensors based on nanomaterials and inkjet printing for the diagnosis of diseases such as Alzheimer's. After writing up her PhD thesis, she joined the Leibniz Institute (IFW) in Dresden, Germany, as a postdoctoral researcher where she contributed towards furthering magnetically driven microcarriers for the transport of immobile sperm, and played a crucial role in the development of ultra-sensitive coiled microsensors for the detection of nucleic acids. Within two years she was promoted to lead the Micro- and Nanobiomedical Engineering Group at the same institute. Dr. Medina-Sanchez spearheaded efforts relating to medical micro-robots, focusing on assisted fertilization and targeted drug delivery. Her work covered the design of optimal microrobots, the study of sperm-based micromotors in complex environments and, recently, the progress in real-time, deep-tissue monitoring of these micromotors, a fundamental step towards applying them in living organisms. 

In recognition of her contributions, in 2019 she was awarded a prestigious grant by the European Research Commission in the ERC Starting Grant category to work on her MIcroGIFT project on the development of microrobots to assist in reproductive techniques. Since 2020, she has held the position of independent group leader at IFW Leibniz and of the B CUBE at the TU Dresden. She also received the young researcher distinction of the Faculty of Medicine at the TU Dresden, an award given only to young researchers with an outstanding academic career and who have demonstrated independence in their work. At the beginning of 2024 she joined CIC nanoGUNE as an Ikerbasque Research Professor and Head of the nanoBiosystems group.