Published on February 13th, 2014
Nanomotors could treat cancer. Nanobots “repair” cells from within (VIDEO)
Soon, the story in “A fantastic journey” could become a reality. Scientists have managed to get nanomotors in living human cells. This invention could be used to “repair” the body from the inside.
Nanomotors engines are tiny filaments made of gold that can move through the body, including cells.
“Imagine what it would be to get inside the cancer cells, to go to their power source and kill them”, says Tom Mallouk, a professor at Pennsylvania State University.
Furthermore, the small robots may be used to make surgical operations inside a cell or to carry medications.
Nanomotors — tiny gold rods — interact with HeLa cells.
Unfortunately, nanomotors have not yet been tested in an animals or humans, and this step may be done only over a decade.
Mallouk and his team are still in the experimental phase age trying to understand better how the cellular mechanism works.
The created nanobots have a diameter of 300 nanometers and a length of 3 micrometers, so they are thinner than hair.
Nanomotors were invented 10 years ago, the University of Pennsylvania, but when they needed a toxic fuel to work and could not go in a biological fluid, ie inside human cells.
In this experiment, the researchers replaced the toxic fuel with ultrasound and magnetic force to move the nanomotors.
The nanobots can penetrate the cell membrane and there can homogenize in the cell, acting as a mixer.
In the test they were used in the HeLa cancer cells of a woman’s cervical tumor.
The nanomotors can also stick to the surface of the cells, and move between cells.
“If somebody who knows about cancer sees a way to cure cancer with these things, that’s great”, Mallouk said. “I’d be glad to talk to them”.
Source: CNN
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Mihalka Tiberiu , editor of Discovery-Zone. News portal for science, technology, nature and travel that aims to be the largest site to popularize science and general knowledge. Discovery-Zone brings daily news of science, investigates and analyses the controversial inventions or discoveries of the past century. Find us on Google+