Nanobots
Nanobots can be considered as the infantry of precision medicine. They're able to carry drugs to specific cells, hammer (literally!) their way into cells, and deliver their payload right where it hurts.
These tiny robots aren't (usually) miniaturised versions of industrial robots - as things work very different at the cellular level and in the blood that they travel in. Their movement is more akin to bacteria with wriggling tails or spinning corkscrews, either powered by sugar in the body or by magnetic fields that help guide them to their target. The smallest nanobots may be made of DNA that is formed into a cage-like structure containing a pharmaceutical package that is release when the target is reached.
The larger (relatively, they're still tiny!) nanobots have micro-legs to help them move crawl along organs inside the body, or contain cameras and sensors to transmit detailed physiological information back to your doctor to help take the guess work out of diagnosis.
Many futurists predict that before we're halfway into the 21st century we will be injecting ourselves with thousands of nanobots that patrol our bodies keeping an eye out for pathogens and diseases and then swarming together to defend the body against damage.
Resources
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Could DNA nanorobots cure cancer
DNA nanobots will soon be tried in a critically ill leukemia patient
LIFNano Therapeutics
Company specifically focused on targeted delivery of the biologic, Leukaemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF)
Mursla
Quantum biology startup developing diagnostics for early cancer detection with a nanotechnology platform
nanoTherics
Company that provides products addressing the field of magnetic nanoparticle research and applications
Recent News
Targeted drug delivery with microbots made of algae cells to treat acute bacterial pneumonia
UC San Diego School of Medicine - 22-Sep-2022
Nanoparticles-modified microbots coated with neutrophil cell membranes-reduce inflammation in lungs
Read more...Microswarms potentially beneficial for opening a blockage in a shunt
Nano Magazine - 19-Aug-2022
Sediment built-up in the shunts can be scraped out using microbot swarms
Read more...Pharmashots interviews Laurent Levy about cancer-killing radiotherapy enhancers
Pharmashots - 10-Aug-2022
NBTXR3 might give hope to patients who are ineligible for certain chemotheraphy
Read more...Magnetic particle swarms and Selective embolization to be more efficient and less complicated
Nano Magazine - 01-Aug-2022
Embolization is a medical technique used to block blood vessels during treatment
Read more...Screen cell-nanoparticle interactions adopted in targeting cancer cells
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - 21-Jul-2022
Clarity on cell particle interaction and particle uptake, for specific cancer types
Read more...
