Marta Pacheco

University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Marta Pacheco is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of microrobotics and biomedical engineering, whose work is redefining targeted drug delivery for cancer therapy. Her primary research areas include the design of biohybrid microrobots, enzyme-responsive materials, and autonomous therapeutic systems. Pacheco’s most notable contribution is her landmark 2022 study on a microrobotic carrier that achieves enzymatically encoded drug release in the presence of pancreatic cancer cells through programmed self-destruction. This innovation addresses a critical challenge in oncology: delivering chemotherapeutics directly to malignant cells while minimizing systemic toxicity. By engineering microrobots that respond to specific enzymatic cues in the tumor microenvironment, her work enables precise, on-demand drug release, offering a transformative approach to treating aggressive cancers like pancreatic adenocarcinoma. With 19 citations to date, this paper has quickly become a foundational reference in the field, demonstrating the potential of self-destructive microrobots for localized therapy. Pacheco’s research not only advances fundamental knowledge in micro-robotic actuation and biocompatibility but also holds promise for clinical translation, positioning her as a rising leader in smart therapeutic systems.