Scientists Created The First Nanorobots Programmed To Destroy Cancer Tumors

Arizona State University scientists collaborated with researchers from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology and created the first nanorobots programmed to shrink cancer tumors. Is this finally a cure for cancer?

Hao Yan, the director of the ASU Biodesign Institute's Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics and Milton Glick Professor in the School of Molecular Sciences, claimed that they've managed to develop the first fully autonomous, DNA robotic system for precise drug design and targeted cancer therapy.

The successful trial is the first of its kind in mammals, and it has been tested for breast, ovarian and lung cancer and for melanoma in mice.

The journal Nature Biotechnology published the findings. They are a culmination of ten years of research in the field of DNA origami, in which Yan is an expert.

Nanomedicine is a new branch of medicine that aims to use nanotechnology to create new options for treating severe diseases, particularly cancer.

What's been challenging so far is to design, build and control nanorobot to find and destroy cancerous tumors, while not harming healthy cells at the same time.

The work started five years ago since NCNST researchers wanted to cut off tumor blood supply. Fortunately, Prof Yan’s expertise has even pushed results further by awing the fully programmable robotic system able to perform on its own.

Scientists performed their study by injecting human cancer cells into a mouse to induce aggressive tumor growth.

Once a tumor was growing, the nanorobot was sent in. Every nanorobot is made from a flat, rectangular DNA origami sheet, and it has blood-clotting enzyme thrombin attached to the surface.

Thrombin can block tumor blood flow by clotting the blood within the vessels that feed tumor growth, causing the equivalent of a tumor “mini-heart attack,” and leading to tumor tissue death.

Nanorobots work fast, surrounding the tumor just hours after the injection. The research has demonstrated that the nanorobots are safe and effective in shrinking tumors.

As Yuliang Zhao, a professor at NCNST and lead scientist of the international collaborative team, explained: “The nanorobot proved to be safe and immunologically inert for use in normal mice and, also in Bama miniature pigs, showing no detectable changes in normal blood coagulation or cell morphology.”

Also, there was no evidence of the nanorobots spreading to the brain, where they could cause side effects like a stroke.

Image source: Getty Images

The treatment blocked tumor blood supply and generated tumor tissue damage within 24 hours while not affect healthy tissues. By two days, there had been evidence of advanced thrombosis, and three days later, thrombi in all tumor vessels were observed.

Cancer treatment: The nanorobot is microscopically tiny

Cancer treatment: Testing on mice showed nanorobots can be effective in shrinking tumours in mammals

In the melanoma mouse model, three out of eight mice receiving the nanorobot therapy demonstrated complete regression of the tumors. The median survival time more than doubled, increasing from 20.5 to 45 days.

Reference: Express.co.uk