DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
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DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
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Re: DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
#2Seems promising, though false positives for “looks like a tumor” might be problematic. I’m hopeful for something less barbaric than chemo and radiation. We’re truly in the Stone Ages around cancer treatments.
Re: DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
#3Seems promising, though false positives for “looks like a tumor” might be problematic. I’m hopeful for something less barbaric than chemo and radiation. We’re truly in the Stone Ages around cancer treatments.
Yeah...nucleolin is pretty ubiquitously expressed in most cells. How specific is their aptamer (antibody?) ?
Additionally, this is a similar idea to chemo embolization procedures (something I know is done in the US for some liver metastasis, but is being investigated for other solid tumors), where a catheter delivers a massive dose of chemotherapy at an artery supplying the tumor, and then closes that artery off.
Re: DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
#4Here is the actual paper, with abstract:
https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4071
Major things that are interesting just from the abstract: 1) their targeting dna aptamer binds to nucleolin (how this isn't binding to the nucleolin in normal cells is beyond my knowledge, but my guess is that the protein is expressed somewhere other than the nucleolus of the tumor cell). 2) Doesn't seem to affect mice without tumors, so a good thing?
Re: DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
#5Like other nano robots, does this use outside source to control it ? like magnetic signals when they pass the tumor.
Re: DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
#6Like other nano robots, does this use outside source to control it ? like magnetic signals when they pass the tumor.
Not sure which other nano robots you're referring to, but this is more like a custom-built protein that falls apart when it's near specific types of molecules.
Re: DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
#7Seems promising, though false positives for “looks like a tumor” might be problematic. I’m hopeful for something less barbaric than chemo and radiation. We’re truly in the Stone Ages around cancer treatments.
Lots of medical fields are in the stone age. Look at mental disorders, gut disorders (IBS), diabetes, autoimmune disorders, dentistry, ...
Re: DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
#8It's interesting that this nano-compound is made using self-assembly. What limits this process from producing other molecules? Could this be the beginning of the so-called "grey goo"? (http://amzn.to/2oG6mHR)
Re: DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
#9Like other nano robots, does this use outside source to control it ? like magnetic signals when they pass the tumor.
No, there is no way to control it externally, nor does it have a mechanism for active movement. The DNA nanorobots move passively along with the blood flow and latches onto the tumors through their apatmer binding sites.
Re: DNA nanobot 'starves' tumors
#10It's interesting that this nano-compound is made using self-assembly. What limits this process from producing other molecules? Could this be the beginning of the so-called "grey goo"? ( http://amzn.to/2oG6mHR )
Self-assembly here doesn't imply reproduction.
They compose a two dimensional structure (or more) that, given the proper conditions, build itself in the desired three dimensional shape (1).