Analysis of Magnetoelectric Robot for Biological Cell Poration

Targeted drug delivery has been the focus of medical millimeter and nanometer sized-robots along with its other biomedical applications. Magneto-electric (ME) robots uses the coupling of the magnetostrictive and piezoelectric properties to generate electric pulses. A CFO-BTO (Cobalt Iron Oxide and Barium Titanate), ferromagnetic core and ferroelectric shell is modelled using COMSOL Multiphysics simulation of 2.5mm and 5mm spherical radius that produced an electric pulse of 0.625µV of 8.33ms time scale when exposed to an external magnetic field of intensity 50 Oe at 60Hz. The ME can be externally controlled via a magnetic navigation system (MNS) and the magnetic force accounts for the ME robot to align and propel in the direction of the Human Epithelial cell (HEP). The ME robot on reaching the HEP can generate electric pulses due to its magnetoelectric property and hence create nano-sized pores on the cell membrane. The focus of this paper is to understand the real time changes occurring in the conductivity and induced transmembrane potential of the cell when the CFO-BTO is brought in the vicinity of the HEP cell. The low magnitude of a single CFO-BTO that produced 0.625V of electric field can cause an induced transmembrane potential of approximately 7µV but the synchronized ME robot can produce a higher potential change that can allow for the pore creation. An estimation in the change in the conductivity of the cell is performed using an analytical -equivalent conductivity of a permeabilized cell approach and shown an increased conductivity due to the creation of nanopores and its correlation with the induced transmembrane potential. This real time theoretical analysis allows scope for future designing and understanding the application of the CFO-BTO robot in the drug delivery procedure in a cell.