Key points from article :
Scientists observed the collective behaviour of a large number of nanorobots in vivo using radioactive isotope labelling.
Nanobots to have autonomous movement inside the bladder of living mice.
“Having able to see how nanorobots move together is very important to treat specific pathologies such as cancer tumours,” - Samuel Sánchez, principal investigator at IBEC.
“Demonstrated for the first time that nanorobots can be monitored in vivo through Positron Emission Tomography (PET),” - Jordi Llop, principal investigator, CIC biomaGUNE.
Optical microscopy and PET allowed to observe how nanoparticles mixed with the fluids and were capable of migrating collectively.
Nanorobots are coated with an enzyme called urease, which uses urea from urine as a fuel.
“Could revolutionise the nanoparticle-based drug delivery and diagnostic approaches,” - Tania Patiño, co-corresponding author.
Research by ICREA published in Science Robotics.
