Micro/nanomotor development towards enhanced cancer therapy

Abstract

Cancer remains a leading global life-threatening disease, with traditional cancer therapies hindered by inefficient drug delivery and the complex tumor microenvironment. Micro/nanomotors—nanomaterials capable of converting chemical, physical, or biological energy into autonomous mechanical motion—emerge as a transformative strategy for precision oncology. By overcoming the limitations of passive drug carriers, these motors enable active penetration of tumor barriers, targeted cargo delivery, and spatiotemporally controlled therapy, offering unprecedented opportunities to enhance treatment efficacy and reduce systemic toxicity. This review synthesizes the latest advancements in micro/nanomotors for cancer therapy, taking their diverse driving mechanisms as the central axis to explore their therapeutic potential. The article systematically categorizes these motors into chemical-driven (e.g., bubble, self-electrophoresis, enzyme), physical-driven (e.g., magnetic, ultrasonic, light), multifield-coupled, and bio-hybrid systems. For each category, we elaborate on design principles, energy-conversion mechanisms, cancer-specific applications (e.g., targeted delivery, combinatorial therapy, immune activation), and technical advantages, illustrating how different driving modalities address unique challenges in tumor microenvironments. Future progress requires interdisciplinary efforts to bridge experimental design with practical applications, aiming to transform these micro/nanomotors into effective tools for precise cancer therapy.