What are DNA Nanobots? A breakthrough in cancer research

Cancer is considered to be one of the deadliest diseases prevailing all over the world. Numerous researches are being carried out to tackle this disease. One of the aspects of cancer research is the Targeted Drug Delivery i.e. delivering the drug to the exact site of the tumor so that only the cancerous cells are killed without affecting other healthy cells. After lots of research in R&D, Nanotechnology is being considered as the solution to this problem with the use of the newly developed DNA nanobots. Two eminent scientists, Dr. Ido Bachelet of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University and Dr. Shawn Douglas of UC San Francisco School of Medicine are working extensively on developing these smart tiny robots which can be programmed to target the exact cancer cells after being injected in your body.

What are DNA Nanobots?

DNA Nanobots are tiny robots made up of DNA through the technique of “DNA Origami” (folding of DNA into desired 2 D or 3D shape at nanoscale). They are programmable and act autonomously. But, they differ from our preconceived idea of robots in the fact that they are made entirely of DNA coded in A, T, G and C’s (rather than some metal coded in 0s and 1s). These smart robots patrol the bloodstream and recognize the target site based on the protein markers specific for the cancer cells. They are shaped as hexagonal tube with their two halves connected by a “latched hinge”. Once they recognize the cell of interest the hinge swings open to release the cargo of drug or nanoparticles thereby killing it by disrupting some of the vital function of the diseased cell. Say, they may interfere with the process of cell growth. They are designed so that they the body doesnt react to the injected foreign particles by turning its immune system, plus their biodegradability and biocompatibility makes them a better candidate for effective delivery of drugs.

So, Can this technology be the next big thing in Cancer Research? Well, so far they have proved their worth in the cell culture and animal cell studies. But can they be as effective in their human trails? Professor Bachelet claims that his DNA nanobots can currently identify cells in humans with 12 different types of cancer tumors. The human trail has already been announced last year and is on its way forward. Final results are still awaited but the researchers are pretty positive.

If Buchelet and Douglas’ approach for DNA Nanobots succeeds, it would be a milestone in the field of cancer research as it holds the potential to eliminate the contemporary cancer therapies including invasive surgeries and chemotherapy, which have their own drawbacks, primarily, damage to the healthy cells.

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