Scientists Enable A Thought-Controlled Nanobot To Release Medicine Inside A Cockroach
- 8 years ago
A cockroach has played a key role in the development of a potential drug-delivery system for humans that can be controlled with thoughts.
A cockroach has played a key role in the development of a potential drug-delivery system for humans that can be controlled with thoughts.
Doctors have long struggled to deliver medications to precise areas needing treatment, notes New Scientist.
To address this problem, researchers from the Interdisciplinary Centre and Bar Ilan University in Israel, have recently created nanorobots “out of DNA folded in such a way that drugs could be tethered inside.”
The bots are designed to release the contained substance under specific conditions like when a section is exposed to electromagnetic energy.
For the experiment, the team inserted one of the drug-carrying nanorobots inside a cockroach; meanwhile, the insect was surrounded by a wire which was connected to an “EEG headset worn by a human.”
The coil was programmed to activate when the person worked on solving math problems, and when he or she rested, it would remain off.
After examining the cockroach, researchers found that the drug had indeed been released during the active periods as planned.
In the future, this technique could be used to attack cancerous cells in patients without harming healthy tissue, among other applications.
A cockroach has played a key role in the development of a potential drug-delivery system for humans that can be controlled with thoughts.
Doctors have long struggled to deliver medications to precise areas needing treatment, notes New Scientist.
To address this problem, researchers from the Interdisciplinary Centre and Bar Ilan University in Israel, have recently created nanorobots “out of DNA folded in such a way that drugs could be tethered inside.”
The bots are designed to release the contained substance under specific conditions like when a section is exposed to electromagnetic energy.
For the experiment, the team inserted one of the drug-carrying nanorobots inside a cockroach; meanwhile, the insect was surrounded by a wire which was connected to an “EEG headset worn by a human.”
The coil was programmed to activate when the person worked on solving math problems, and when he or she rested, it would remain off.
After examining the cockroach, researchers found that the drug had indeed been released during the active periods as planned.
In the future, this technique could be used to attack cancerous cells in patients without harming healthy tissue, among other applications.