Nanorobots can stop bacterial infection
Engineers at the University of California at San Diego have created tiny ultrasonic robots that can float in the blood and remove harmful bacteria along with the toxins they produce. The technology is based on the work of the professors Joseph Wang and Liangfang Zhang. Description of the principles of the technology appeared on May 30 on the university's website.
The development of bacterial infection can occur due to a weakening of immunity or the entry of harmful microorganisms into the human body: in any case, in the absence of timely treatment, infection with pathogens can lead to serious complications and in some cases, death. Therefore, timely treatment is so important. However, drugs are not always able to completely cleanse the body of bacteria and toxins, so American scientists have developed robots based on nanotechnology, which can stop the infection in a few minutes.
Scientists have created nanorobots by coating gold nanowires with a hybrid of platelet membranes and red blood cells . This hybrid membrane coating allows nanorobots to perform just two functions of different cells - platelets that "capture" pathogens (for example, MRSA bacteria), and red blood cells that absorb and neutralize the toxins produced by these pathogens. The robots themselves, thanks to the gold coating, react to the ultrasound machine , due to which they can move in the blood without any fuel or motor. Such mobility helps them to quickly contact bacteria and toxins, speeding up detoxification. The membrane coating also protects the mechanisms from the process in which proteins accumulate on the surface of foreign bodies and interfere with their operation.
Nanorobots are about 25 times smaller than the width of a human hair. They can travel at speeds up to 35 micrometers per second when powered by ultrasound. Experiments with blood samples infected with MRSA bacteria have shown that robots reduce the number of pathogens and toxins in five minutes. Nevertheless, the technology is still at an early stage of development. Scientists plan to adapt nanorobots to purify biological fluids from a wide range of pathogens.
Engineers at the University of California at San Diego have created tiny ultrasonic robots that can float in the blood and remove harmful bacteria along with the toxins they produce. The technology is based on the work of the professors Joseph Wang and Liangfang Zhang. Description of the principles of the technology appeared on May 30 on the university's website.
The development of bacterial infection can occur due to a weakening of immunity or the entry of harmful microorganisms into the human body: in any case, in the absence of timely treatment, infection with pathogens can lead to serious complications and in some cases, death. Therefore, timely treatment is so important. However, drugs are not always able to completely cleanse the body of bacteria and toxins, so American scientists have developed robots based on nanotechnology, which can stop the infection in a few minutes.
Scientists have created nanorobots by coating gold nanowires with a hybrid of platelet membranes and red blood cells . This hybrid membrane coating allows nanorobots to perform just two functions of different cells - platelets that "capture" pathogens (for example, MRSA bacteria), and red blood cells that absorb and neutralize the toxins produced by these pathogens. The robots themselves, thanks to the gold coating, react to the ultrasound machine , due to which they can move in the blood without any fuel or motor. Such mobility helps them to quickly contact bacteria and toxins, speeding up detoxification. The membrane coating also protects the mechanisms from the process in which proteins accumulate on the surface of foreign bodies and interfere with their operation.
Nanorobots are about 25 times smaller than the width of a human hair. They can travel at speeds up to 35 micrometers per second when powered by ultrasound. Experiments with blood samples infected with MRSA bacteria have shown that robots reduce the number of pathogens and toxins in five minutes. Nevertheless, the technology is still at an early stage of development. Scientists plan to adapt nanorobots to purify biological fluids from a wide range of pathogens.
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