In the world of medicine, few diagnoses can be as disheartening as cancer. Since the discovery of the lethal, often incurable disease, scientists have been researching countless ways to stop and remove cancer cells from their patients. According to researchers from Durham University, the solution to fighting one of humanity’s deadliest diseases lies in nanomachinery.
Image Source: Vladimir Serov
In a recent article published in Nature, the scientists detailed their use of nanomachines to effectively kill cancer cells by drilling into the lipid bilayers of cancer cell membranes. After drilling, the machines either deliver therapeutic agents into the cell or cause cell death by inducing necrosis. The machines operate by rotating at extremely fast speeds; about two to three million rotations per second is required in order to move faster than natural Brownian motion in the body and drill through the cell membrane.
Perhaps the most important function of these nanomachines is their ability to locate and target certain cells — an action that is impossible with current cancer treatments such as chemotherapy. Programmed to target specific cell types, these nanomachines are considered harmless until an external, ultraviolet light stimulus is used, “turning on” the machines’ drilling feature. Experimental evidence then showed that even the most difficult types of cancer cells, such as prostate cancer cells, could be completely disintegrated in a one to three minute time frame.
The ability to distinguish and control the treatment is revolutionary in the sense that it would be much less harmful and more efficient than modern day cancer treatments. While current tests have merely been in vitro, there is serious potential for the nanomachinery to be used in vivo by simply using different forms of light, such as near-infrared and radio frequency. These forms of light would be less harmful to healthy cells in the body than ultraviolet light. In other words, scientists are hopeful that this newly discovered method can diversify even further to be used to treat patients, making it a more attractive choice for future cancer therapies.
Feature Image Source: padrinan
