Tiny Nanobots Might Be the Cure to Cancer

Scientists from the California Institute of Technology have come one step closer towards creating a possible cure for cancer. They have used a technique called "gene silencing" to help block the production of proteins that are the key to how cancer & other viruses spread. These scientists incorporated that technique with technology through the introduction of nanobots into the blood stream.

Tiny polymer nanobots were coated in a specially created chemical sensor. This sensor would detect when the nanobot encountered a cancers cell. Once the cell is identified, the nanobot would be able to break itself (gene slicing) and release a deadly cocktail inside of the tumor. This would result in the cancerous cell dying and never coming back. Now imagine several thousand of these nanobots entering your body to fight back the thousand cancerous cells. Cancer could be deleted from the picture forever.

Tests have been conducted in several clinical trials at the California Institute of Technology. One study was conducted with three people diagnosed with melanomas. Each person received four thirty minuted sessions. These sessions would see them receive intravenous doses of the polymer nanobots. It was discovered that over a course of three weeks that the tumors has become less active because of the constant attack of nanobots. This is good news because it means the cancerous tumor was slowly dying away.

It should be noted that the technology has not been used directly in cancer eliminating trials quite yet. The scientists must first watch and study how the nanobots move about the body and react to the cancerous cells. They need to also find out if the cancerous cells have the ability to adapt to the nanobots, thus making them useless to use.

These studies are being conducted right now with the hope of taking the next step towards trying to cure those with cancer. The scientists believe that they are onto something and would of not shared their creation without feeling good about the direction that it is headed. Time will tell if this technology can lead to the body being cured but it is good news either way.

Sources:

(1) Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62K1BK20100321, 2010