Life is just a theory

jtotheizzoe:

I, DNA NANOBOT

When you think of powerful weapons to fight cancer, origami is not your first thing you think of. But we’re not talking about paper cranes. We are talking about folding DNA to deliver cancer drugs right where they’re needed.

Remember DNA origami from last year? It’s not just whimsical shapes and nanometer-scale smiley faces. Biophysicists from Harvard have designed carefully-folded DNA barrels that can bind payloads on the inside (like drugs) and attach to cancer cell-specific targeting molecules (called aptamers) on the outside.

The nano bots then target their specific cancer type, springing open to deliver their killer drug cargo. It’s a “smart drug” of sorts. By designing different aptamer molecules to direct the bots to various targets, cancer drugs can be delivered very specifically, without many of the side effects of general chemotherapy.

(via Nature News, video and image from Wyss Institute)

This is such an interesting idea for cancer treatment! And of course, it’s also incredibly cool!