Instead of giving you an injection, the doctor may one day implant tiny robots that are only nanometres in length into your bloodstream. These nano-robots are programmed and manoeuvred in our body by ultrasonic signals. They will then release a dose of medication to the points of infection or even to some specific cells.
The nano-robots are actually DNA nano-cages formed by combining eight molecules of DNA to resemble substances naturally found in the body. The nano-cages carry medicinal materials around the body through an extremely complicated circulatory system of veins and arteries to the targeted body tissue. The nano-robots can use a patient’s own blood as a power source. Each of them comes with electrodes to generate power in the process of electrolysis.
One potential application of such technology is cancer treatment. The nano-robots can deliver chemotherapy medication more precisely to the cancer site, so the patient will suffer fewer side effects. The nano-robots can even be encoded to give off lasers or microwaves to heat the tumour cells and thus destroy them.
Could nano-robotics revolutionise medicine? Are we going to have microscopic robots travelling around the circulatory system of our body to heal different kinds of ailments? It could be one of the most promising technologies in the near future.
| JPC Monthly Newsletter | |
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