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Nanobot with potential to blast away cancer?

25/03/13 16:19

Israeli Scientists have developed a microscopic robot that detects disease inside cells. Developed by the Weizmann Institute, the nanobot is based on the body’s own building blocks – DNA. It communicates autonomously with bacterial cells, “scanning” the cell to see if all genes in it are expressed as they should be, since a malfunctioning molecule will cause a disruption in gene-expression.

If all is as it should be the device creates a protein which emits a green light. However, in the future, the researchers say this could be replaced by an alternative protein that can cause cells to self-destruct if they are damaged.

Still very much at the experimental stage, the team’s challenge now is to make the device work with human cells, which are much more complex than their bacterial counterparts.

More info at: http://nocamels.com/2013/03/israeli-scientists-develop-microscopic-robot-that-detects-disease-inside-cells/

By Adriana Hamacher

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