## Robotic Thread Developed to Dissolve Kidney Stones **News Title:** Robotic thread finds kidney stones and dissolves them **Report Provider:** ITC.ua **Author:** Олексанр Федоткін **Published Date:** August 14, 2025 ### Overview Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada, led by Dr. Veronika Magdanz, have developed an innovative robotic thread designed to locate and dissolve kidney stones, offering a potential alternative to existing treatments. This device aims to alleviate pain and expedite stone removal for patients. ### Key Findings and Technology * **The Device:** A 1x1x12 mm thread made from a hydrogel and elastomer mixture, impregnated with the enzyme urease. A micromagnet is attached to one end. * **Mechanism of Action:** * The thread is inserted into the bladder via a catheter. * It is visualized and controlled externally by a robotic arm with a rotating magnet. * The rotating magnet causes the thread to oscillate, allowing it to navigate through the urinary tract and push off walls. * The thread stops upon reaching a kidney stone. * Once in place, an external magnetic patch on the skin can hold the thread for several days. * The urease enzyme released by the thread increases the pH of the surrounding urine. * This increase in pH leads to the dissolution of the kidney stone. * **Testing and Results:** * Tests were conducted on a 3D-printed model of the human urinary tract filled with synthetic urine. * In these tests, a single filament increased the urine's pH from a typical level of 6 (associated with kidney stones) to 7. * This pH change resulted in an average **30% reduction in the weight of stones** within the synthetic urine. * The elevated pH level was maintained for **up to three months**. ### Future Plans The research team plans to conduct further studies on large animals to evaluate the device's efficacy and safety in a more complex biological system. ### Significance and Goals Dr. Veronika Magdanz stated, "Our goal is to offer an effective alternative to existing treatments. We hope that the accelerated dissolution will relieve pain and help patients to eliminate stones from the body faster." This robotic thread represents a promising advancement in the minimally invasive treatment of kidney stones. ### Publication The results of this study were published in the journal *Advanced Healthcare Materials*.
Robotic thread finds kidney stones and dissolves them
Read original at ITC.ua →Kidney stones can be a serious problem, especially if they cannot be removed with oral medications. These formations are solid deposits salts and other minerals contained in urine. Over time, their accumulation in the kidneys can lead to serious problems that have to be to solve in an operational way.
In people with regular kidney stones, the effectiveness of oral medications is even lower, as they can help dissolve these deposits or be ineffective. And even horses produce the desired effect, this is happening too slowly. In this regard, Dr Veronika Magdanz and her colleagues from the The University of Waterloo in Canada has presented a device that is a 1x1x12 mm thread.
It is made of a mixture of hydrogel and elastomer and impregnated with by the enzyme urease. A micromagnet is also attached to one of its ends. The device is supposed to be inserted into the bladder through a catheter. When this thread will end up in the body, it can be visualized using ultrasound and controlled by an external robotic arm with by a magnet that rotates at the end.
As the magnet rotates, the thread also oscillates back and forth, moving along the bacteria pass through the urinary tract and push off the walls. The thread stops when it reaches the kidney stone. It can then be held in place for several days with an external a magnetic patch glued to the skin. The thread releases urease into the surrounding urine, increasing its pH.
The decrease in acidity leads to the dissolution of the stone, after which it can be removed from the body relatively painlessly. In tests, conducted on a 3D-printed model of the human urinary tract, filled with synthetic urine, it was found, that one of the filaments increased the pH of the fluid from 6, which is typical for an environment with kidney stones, to 7.
This led to a 30% reduction in the weight of stones in the urine on average. The increased pH level lasted up to three months. Next, the researchers plan to conduct studies on large animals.“Our goal is to offer an effective alternative to existing treatments. We hope that the accelerated dissolution will relieve pain and help patients to eliminate stones from the body faster”, — explains Veronika Magdanz.
The results of the study were published in the journal Advanced Healthcare MaterialsSource: NewAtlas
