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Intravenous Robots May Be the Key to Cancer-Fighting RNA

by Terrence O'Brien on March 25, 2010 at 08:25 AM

nanotech bots deploy cancer-fighting RNAScientists are one step closer to creating a highly targeted treatment for cancer that could potentially have fewer negative side effects than chemotherapy. A technique known as "gene silencing," or RNA interference (RNAi), has the potential to block the production of proteins key to the spread of cancer and viruses. Researchers have struggled with developing a delivery method for the specially designed RNA molecules, but a major breakthrough from the California Institute of Technology may have solved that part of the equation.

Using tiny polymer nanobots coated in a chemical sensor, medical scientists at the school were able to send RNAi molecules through a patient's blood stream. When the sensor detected that it had encountered a cancerous cell, it broke down and released its RNAi payload inside the tumor.

In the clinical trial, three people with melanomas received four 30-minute, intravenous doses of the tiny robots over the course of three weeks. At the end of the trial, biopsies of the tumors detected both the presence of the RNAi molecules and a reduction in tumor gene expression. This doesn't necessarily mean the tumor had shrunk, but it does mean that it was less active.

More trials are required, of course, and we're sure some luddites out there will freak over the idea of pumping tiny machines into their blood streams. But, if this could lead to a treatment for cancer that doesn't have the severe physical effects of chemotherapy, we'll take our chances with the robots. [From: PopSci and Reuters]

Tags: cancer, health, medicine, nanobots, nanotechnology, research, rna, rnai, robots, science

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