These copper phosphate devices, coated with iron nanoparticles, can pass through the smallest blood vessels. | Photo: D. Nozdriukhin

These tiny, flower-shaped devices made of copper phosphate were coated with iron nanoparticles and a fluorescent dye, then introduced into the fine vasculature of mice ears. This enabled a team from ETH Zurich to steer the microflowers using magnets and to track them with a combination of light and ultrasound. “It enables us to visualise small blood vessels in detail”, says Daniil Nozdriukhin, the lead author. In future, these flowers could also be used to deliver drugs precisely to their target.

D. Nozdriukhin et al.: Multifunctional Microflowers for Precise Optoacoustic Localization and Intravascular Magnetic Actuation In Vivo. Advanced Healthcare Materials (2025)

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