Tandem Enzymatic Swarm Communication Enables Collective Nanobot Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Collective motion is a defining feature of living systems in nature, but has been challenging to reproduce in synthetic swarming systems. Here, we report a tandem enzymatic communication system between glucose oxidase and catalase-powered nanobot swarms for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We verify in vitro coordinated swarm behavior produced by coupling propulsion through an enzymatic cascade in microchips. After intrarectal injection in mice, the collective behavior of swarms is assessed in the context of peristalsis using photoacoustic imaging, demonstrating the effective navigation of swarms within the colon. In addition, we confirm the remarkable recovery of the damaged colon, characterized by comparable levels of proinflammatory cytokines and enhanced anti-inflammatory cytokines, in both prevention and delayed treatment regimens in IBD model mice. Taken together, the tandem communication system would be harnessed as a next-generation platform for various intractable diseases, including colorectal diseases.