RNA Nanobots Combat Cancer

While nanobots largely remain in a developmental stage, scientists have been able to coax polymers on a nanomolecular scale to serve as vectors for specific drug therapies. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena have loaded RNA into polymer vesicles that are coated with the protein transferrin. This protein is attracted to the receptors on a variety of tumors. Upon contact between the vesicle and a tumor cell, the outer protein induces the cell to accept the contents of the vesicle. Once the particles are inside the cell, the environment within the cell triggers the disassembly of the particles and the release of RNA interference. These RNA molecules inhibit the action of a gene that makes a growth protein called ribonucleotide reductase, commonly found in cancer cells.

The treatment is administered via four intravenous injections of RNA-loaded nanoparticles, typically lasting about thirty minutes per injection, over the course of three weeks. The recent conclusion of a trial involving three patients with melanomas bodes well. Samples taken from the melanomas after the treatment show the presence of RNA interference and the reduction of cancerous gene expression. Gene therapy via nanobots is a promising area in the field of medicine as the manipulation of particular genes can be applied to any type of transcription ailment, allowing similar vectors for both DNA and RNA viruses.

I found this article interesting because it involves the utilization of nanobots and gene therapy

I found this article at http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-03/nanotech-robots-deploy-cancer-fighting-rna

- Scott Blasczyk, VTPP 435-502