The
vision of the Eric Drexler in his famous book “Engines of creation”
discusses the possible ways of developing the nanorobots or nanobots
that enter the cells and manipulate the process inside and treat dreadful diseases like cancer. From the last
two decades researchers around the world are trying in different ways
to make that vision into a reality. Looking for the possible
invention with the novel materials under synthesis, the researchers
from at PennState university, USA has showed a considerable progress.
They synthesized nanobots made of Gold-ruthenium bimetal nanorods.
The functionality of the nanorods is their spinning behaviour in the
presence of ultrasonic fields. This makes the rods behave as the
small tiny nanomotors.
"This
research is a vivid demonstration that it may be possible to use
synthetic nanomotors to study cell biology in new ways. We might be
able to use nanomotors to treat cancer and other diseases by
mechanically manipulating cells from the inside. Nanomotors could
perform intracellular surgery and deliver drugs non-invasively to
living tissues."
- Evan Pugh, Professor of Material Chemistry
and Physics, PennState.
The
researchers studied the nanomotors working in HeLa cells. They gave
the nanomotors into the medium given to the HeLa cells. The cells
uptake the nanomotors. The nanomotors work very little when a lower
ultrasonic frequency waves were given the actual working of these
nanomotors was observed at higher ultrasonic frequencies. A series of
videos demonstrating the uptake of the nanomotors and the cells in
action in the link given below.
The
research in combating cancer exploring different unique ways where
the conventional therapies are not enough. It is the vision of any
science-fiction lover to have nanorobots killing cancer cells one by
one. I think we are at the age where the technology is highly
advancing where with the help of nanotechnology we can actual make
the science-fiction things possible and real. We hope the answer for
the cancer treatment is not so far.
Courtesy:http://www.phys.org.
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