Curing Cancer: New DNA Nanorobots can Kill Cancer Tumors

In a latest scientific breakthrough, scientists have discovered autonomous DNA nanorobots that have the potential to function as intelligent delivery vehicles to cure cancer. These DNA nanorobots work by seeking out and injecting cancerous tumors with drugs. The drugs can cut off the blood supply to tumors, shriveling them up and killing them.

The DNA nanorobots are relatively a new concept for drug delivery. The bots are programmed to function to fold into itself like origami and then deploy itself like a tiny machine, ready for action. The study was published in Nature Biotechnology and read, “Using tumor-bearing mouse models, we demonstrate that intravenously injected DNA nanorobots deliver thrombin specifically to tumor-associated blood vessels...”

Under Tests

The experiment was tested by injecting the DNA bots into mice with human breast cancer tumors. Within 48 hours, the bots had successfully grabbed onto vascular cells at the tumor sites, causing blood clots in the tumor’s vessels and cutting off their blood supply, leading to tumor’s death.

But the most remarkable thing is that the bots did not cause clotting in other parts of the body. They targeted only the cancerous cells which they had been programmed to. The scientists behind this say the goal is to prove these bots can do the same thing in humans. More work is being done before human trials begin.