When I was little, my concept of robots was deeply rooted in what I saw on TV: large hunks of metal roaming the streets, leaving behind mayhem with every step. Over the years, however, my concept evolved. Now, I realize there are all sorts of different forms of robots, and not all of them are evil! In fact, most of them are the good guys. Robots are everywhere in our lives. They fight crime by intercepting potentially dangerous packages before the police handle them; they distribute medications in hospitals; they serve coffee at your local hangout; and some even act as teachers’ assistants in classrooms across the country. It seems like robots are destined to take over the human world as we know it, just like in the cartoons of my childhood, but perhaps this is a good thing.
Courtesy of Robert Couse-Baker through Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Researchers at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University are currently in the midst of developing tiny robots, called DNA nanobots, that they hope will one day save the lives of critically ill leukemia patients. The robots, developed completely from DNA, are designed to function like our own immune system cells. The nanobots will have the technology to make them capable of seeking out and destroying foreign cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched. Just like our own white blood cells, the nanobots will police the bloodstream, searching for any signs of distress. Since the robots are made entirely of real DNA, they will biocompatible and biodegradable, preventing the body from eliciting an immune response.
The DNA nanobots are shaped like a hexagonal tube, with two halves connected by a hinge in between them. When the robot recognizes surface proteins belonging to the cancer, the two halves will open to administer a drug that will force the cancer cells to self-destruct. Bachelet, of Bar-Ilan University, states that when he administered the robots into a mixture of healthy and cancerous human blood cells, approximately 50% of the cancerous cells were destroyed in three days and no healthy cells were destroyed. A follow-up experiment was conducted on live cockroaches and provided similar, promising results. Since then, the nanobots have been reportedly able to detect twelve different kinds of cancerous cells.
With the success from their lab and cockroach experiments under their belt, these tiny robots are ready for the big time. The first DNA nanobot trial in a human subject began in early 2016. All patients involved have been told they only have months to live, but Bechelet and his team hope to eradicate the cancer in the span of one month. If all goes as hoped, nanotechnology could be a mainstream therapy in oncology within the next 5 years. This is a very exciting and promising development for the medical team. With the powerful blows these nanobots have delivered to cancer in recent studies, I like to think of them as 2016’s new and improved Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robots!
Rachel Antol is an MS2 at The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. She graduated from Arizona State University in 2014 with a degree in biology and a concentration in developmental biology. Growing up with a passion for reading and writing, Rachel has been involved in various writing opportunities throughout her life and is very excited to bring this joy to her medical school. For any questions or interest in submitting an article, please contact her at rachelantol[at]email.arizona.edu.