Dora
RebeccaNanorobotics has developed rapidly in recent years.
We have come so far that nanorobots have started to be used to treat cancer!
What are nanorobots anyway?
Nanobots are small devices or robots that are up to one nanometer in size. One nanometer is equal to one millionth of a millimeter, which means it can’t even be seen with the naked eye.
Nanobots are useful in medicine – for example, to deliver drugs throughout the body.
They are small enough to travel through our veins. At the same time, we can target where they work.
Swedish researchers have created nanorobots that are suitable for cancer treatment.
They bind to special molecules secreted by cancer cells. The problem is that these molecules are sometimes also on healthy cells.
Researchers have found a solution – they have developed nanorobots that can bind to a molecule on any cell in the body.
They destroy it only if the pH is lower than normal.
The environment of cancer cells tends to be acidic, this means they have a low pH, so the nanobots can target them.
They measured that such nanorobots reduced the size of tumors in mice by up to 70 percent.
The next step is to find out what side effects they have before testing them on humans.
Yang Wang, one of the authors of the research
Nanobots will have to go through a lot of safety checks before they can be used on humans.
Glossary
Cancer is a group of diseases in which cells divide and spread uncontrollably, endangering other cells and tissues.
The pH value tells us whether a certain liquid is acidic (low pH) or basic (high pH).
A target is having a specific goal, purpose.
Nanobots and nanorobots are the same.
Points to Consider
- What is the most common way to treat cancer?
- What is the pH of a lemon if we know that a low pH is acidic?
- Do you know of any other fields where nanorobots are used?
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The original version of this article was published on 20th September.
