Miniature medical robots step out from sci-fi

Tiny machines that deliver therapeutic payloads to precise locations in the body are the stuff of science fiction. But some researchers are trying to turn them into a clinical reality.

1. Anthony King
   1. Anthony King is a science writer in Dublin.

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   Cancer drugs usually take a scattergun approach. Chemotherapies inevitably hit healthy bystander cells while blasting tumours, sparking a slew of side effects. It is also a big ask for an anticancer drug to find and destroy an entire tumour — some are difficult to reach, or hard to penetrate once located.

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