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The ANGIE Project is a clinically oriented targeted drug-delivery platform designed to support controlled navigation and localised therapeutic release within complex vascular environments.

Built on more than two decades of research across biomedical engineering, medical robotics, materials science, and precision medicine, the project explores new approaches to delivering therapies more precisely within the body.

Modern medicine has made significant progress in diagnosing disease with precision. Delivering treatment with the same level of precision remains considerably more difficult.

Many therapies still rely on systemic administration, where therapeutic agents circulate throughout the body before reaching the intended target site. While this approach is necessary in many clinical settings, it can also increase systemic exposure and contribute to unwanted side effects.

The Angie Project explores a more controlled and localised framework for therapeutic delivery.

The platform encapsulates a therapeutic agent inside a miniature delivery system designed for controlled transport.

Once introduced into the body, external electromagnetic fields are used to guide the platform through vascular pathways toward a defined target location. Throughout the navigation process, movement is monitored using imaging-supported systems.

Upon reaching the intended destination, the platform is designed to release the therapeutic agent locally, concentrating treatment where it is needed.

No.

The platform is not designed as an autonomous system. Navigation is externally controlled and monitored throughout the process.

The objective is not independent robotic behavior, but controlled and localized therapeutic delivery within medically relevant conditions.

The platform operates on an extremely small scale and is designed to navigate complex vascular environments inaccessible to conventional medical instruments.

Its dimensions are significantly smaller than a grain of rice and are engineered specifically for navigation within biological systems.

Traditional drug delivery often relies on systemic circulation, meaning therapeutic agents travel throughout the body before reaching their intended destination.

The Angie Project focuses on controlled navigation and localised release, aiming to support more precise therapeutic delivery while reducing unnecessary exposure to surrounding tissues.

The project combines magnetic guidance, imaging-supported monitoring, materials engineering, and therapeutic delivery within a single integrated framework.

The Angie Project remains in the research and development phase.

While important scientific milestones have been achieved, including peer-reviewed publication in Science, additional research, validation, and regulatory processes are required before clinical implementation can be considered.

The project is focused on advancing scientific understanding and supporting future clinical translation.

The Angie Project builds upon more than 20 years of research conducted at ETH Zürich and through international scientific collaborations.

The field has been shaped by pioneering contributions from researchers including Prof. Brad Nelson and Prof. Salvador Pané Vidal, whose work has helped advance medical microrobotics, magnetic navigation, and targeted therapeutic delivery.

Today, the project is carried forward by a multidisciplinary team of researchers and engineers working across biomedical engineering, robotics, materials science, and precision medicine.

Recent publications and media coverage have highlighted important developments within the project, including peer-reviewed research published in Science.

However, these milestones represent one stage in a much longer scientific journey built on decades of research, experimentation, and technological development.

Scientific progress often becomes visible at key moments, while the underlying work spans many years.

Precision medicine seeks to tailor treatments to individual patients and specific disease characteristics.

The Angie Project contributes to this broader vision by exploring how therapies might be delivered more precisely, supporting localized treatment approaches and reducing unnecessary systemic exposure.

The project continues to advance through ongoing research, engineering development, scientific validation, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

The long-term objective is to further develop targeted drug-delivery technologies and support their progression toward clinically relevant applications while maintaining a strong commitment to scientific rigour, safety, and transparency.

You can explore the project's scientific publications, media features, conference presentations, and ongoing research updates throughout this website and through the Angie Project's official communication channels.