Category: Future Medicine

Roland Piquepaille writes "Chemists from Italy and at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have built the world's smallest elevator. It is a molecular elevator, about 2.5 nanometers high and 3.5 nanometers wide. The molecular platform sits on three legs which can move up and down by one nanometer. The New Scientist and the New York Times (free registration needed) are both reporting about this nano-elevator. The researchers think this system might be used as a drug delivery system. Even if they're right, it will not happen before at least ten years. This overview contains some excerpts from the two articles mentioned above. It also includes a schematical representation of the chemical equilibrium between the two co-conformations of the molecular elevator."

Rosette nanotubes not only promise versatile components for advanced nanotechnology, but look likely to be useful in near-term nanomedicine as well. Jamie Dinkelacker brings to our attention the fact that Self-assembling 'nanotubes' offer promise for future artificial joints. These nanotubes are assembled from DNA base pair-like rosettes and have the virtue of being readily modified to have different chemical properties [see Customizable, Self-assembling Nanotubes]. Not only has it been demonstrated "that bone cells called osteoblasts attach better to nanotube-coated titanium than they do to conventional titanium used to make artificial joints," but the highly customizable nature of these nanotubes offers hope that coatings can be designed that are optimized for implants in different body parts.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Researchers in Iowa have used nanotechnology to develop a very small silicon chip to catch and help identify viruses, according to Technology Research News. The device, dubbed the ViriChip, is used in conjunction with an atomic force microscope (AFM). The prototype is already able to identify several viruses and should be in labs in less than two years. A particular application could help save lives by enabling doctors to check a donor heart for potential infections before transplanting it to a patient. This overview contains more details. It also includes references to other articles about the ViriChip and images showing how it looks and a virus it detected."

Roland Piquepaille writes "Killing cells affected by cancer while leaving healthy ones alone is not a new idea (check here or there for example). But, in "Ultra-fast shocks scramble cells," Nature describes a new approach based on electrical nanopulses. These electric shocks last only a few billionths of a second while reaching during this very short amount of time power levels of terawatts. They also are very intriguing, apparently forcing cancer cells to commit suicide. For this reason, "there is plenty to be worked out before the human body is zapped with nanopulses." This overview contains more details and references. It also includes images showing how cells are affected by these electric nanopulses."

Roland Piquepaille writes "German researchers at the Max Planck Institute are using nanotechnology to take movies of cellular processes. They used Quantum Dots (or QDs) as nano-sized markers to visualize DNA sequences. This new approach is crucial for the development of new cancer drugs. "These Quantum Dots are nano-sized semiconductor crystals a mere ten millionth of a millimeter in diameter that fluoresce in several different colors upon excitation with a laser source. These crystals enabled the researchers to deliver real-time video-clips of signal transmission in the so-called erbB receptor family, important targets for many anti-tumor drugs such as antibodies directed against breast cancer." More details and references are available in this overview including some isolated shots from a movie showing live cells activation."

Roland Piquepaille writes "Do you want to know if the chicken you just bought at the supermarket contains bits of pork or beef? Or would you like to know if the vegetarian meal you just ordered contains some fish or meat? If your answer is yes, you might get some help from a DNA chip which can recognize 32 different species of fishes, birds and mammals, including humans(!!), in a single test. Both Small Times and New Scientist carry a story of this DNA chip, which will likely be used first by food regulators. The FoodExpert-ID biochip is the first high-throughput gene chip for testing food and animal feed. But it doesn't come cheap. The cost of all the equipment needed to perform the tests is around $250,000, but each test would cost only $350 to $550. This overview contains more details and references. It also includes illustrations showing how the technology works."