Rice University nanomachines constructed to deliver drugs, destroy diseased cells

[@stevenarmstrong5879]

Nanomachines, Son! They harden in response to physical trauma Armstrong 2024

[@walterwhite1700]

I was wrong your not greedy YOUR BATSHIT INSANE

[@oppi2533]

Somebody on this planet is doing something useful, for a change... I cannot emphasize enough how little recognition scientists and engineers receive from the rest of the society; thinking that most of our civilization was built with the direct knowledge of these people: trensportation, communication, energy, construction, etc...

[@darcgibson5099]

51k upvotes versus a few million for some vapid garbage of absolutely no use to society, even in entertainment value, though.... Also, "someone is doing something useful for a change" - scientists and their colleagues in academia are and have been constantly doing useful things for decades, just quietly more recently as politicians have done their best to dumb down society and make it "uncool" to be intelligent (though it seems that old adage is turning around).

[@sucktitles]

51k upvotes is like a fraction of the number of upvotes given to someone scaring a cat, calling news or science fake, or shouting at computer games.

[@angiebold2592]

That's debatable, ask the people being used as secret guinea pigs . It's domestic terrorism

[@garetclaborn]

this is a keystone development. i'm impressed and thankful to hear this has come now

[@derHuckepackmann]

This is major breakthrough! i'm not so sure about the trap instrumental tho...

[@altariacorona]

Induced fit, I think

[@rorywhitaker261]

Do they harden in response to physical trauma?

[@f.b3059]

I believe so, which would also mean that Jack can't hurt me

[@TheBurningEngram]

N A N O M A C H I N E S, *S O N !*

[@walterwhite1700]

They harden in response to physical trauma

[@facecy1427]

Sure it COULD be a great thing. Except when used for nefarious reasons.

[@TheoDoulke]

Is it possible to donate money on these awesome scientists (!) to help them continue their awesome work?

[@gokugamepleysbaquerizozuni6984]

Nanomachines son >:v

[@ricknplano1401]

How long do the nano machines continue to operate? Can they be turned off (I know remove the light... but what if they migrate to skin and are then activated by sunlight?)

[@angiebold2592]

Exactly!!!!!!!

[@leostack8495]

is their such thing as precessional forces at the nanoscale?

[@marisakopera5425]

Finally, real hope! Now to make it available to everyone. I fear Government regulations will thrwart true availability but I hope I am wrong! God bless these scientists!

[@karlhans6678]

I think it depends on the countries, the US will make it expensive but semi-socialist countries like Germany, Nerherlands etc will make it free.

[@mattdavies7323]

Enjoy jabbing it into your body.. this isnt a good thing..

[@MaryShmee]

When you say “God bless these scientists”, what god are you talking about?

[@threeone6012]

Brilliant! How does the light get to the machine if it is in the body?

[@clipitstore]

Its called a "Laser" ;)

[@hamidohadi1362]

it doesn't.

[@ioana938]

The targeted organ is targeted with a bioluminescent dye, which is better assimilated into cancer cells than in normal ones. Then expose to XRays, which only lights up the cancer cells. (This exists today, and widely used in cancer diagnostic) The light activates the machines only in the bioluminescent areas -- which are the cancerous cells. voila -- I think.

[@falcychead8198]

Okay, I'll do it. "We all live in a nano submarine..."

[@WritersMoment]

"A nano submarine"

[@Musicman2012Now]

Oh no, Falcy. : )

[@fleetc]

Wonderful! I would like to ask: Is this the first time a cancer cell is destroyed by a nano-machine?

[@billiejeanslover8929]

Cool I can't wait to get my nanomachines, son.

[@iconssee]

Astonishingly beautiful image from confocal (I guess it is :D ). If by any chance you are in this trend what are youre future: what are potential application of them in cell biology?

[@fibonacci5617]

Amazing! What a great time to be alive!

[@angiebold2592]

Don't worry after they talk you into a brain chip , you won't be human anymore. So being alive is debatable.

[@chrisstephenson8546]

Has this been trialed while in a human or just in lab on a plate, to late some not quick enough for other.

[@Tarandon]

Sounds like they are indescriminate in their destruction. However if they can target cancer only, then a huge breakthrough

[@jakehill9938]

Yes, that seems to be the crux of this dilemma. We have all these ingenious new ways of fighting cancer. But the real battle seems to be identifying cellular markers unique only to cancerous cells. Sometimes a marker will be found that is only present on cancerous thyroid cells. But then with further analysis we find healthy bone cells express the same tumor marker. So to treat the thyroid cancer you willl also have to attack the healthy bone cells. Secondly, the cancerous markers should ideally be linked as closely as possible to the livelihood of the cell. Those are even harder to identify. Most cell surface markers can be genetically repressed if we start throwing chemotherapy at those specific markers. The tumor then represses those markers and finds other way to adapt and keep living.

[@theophilegaudin2329]

What could be done would be to make the molecular machines in such a way that they bind to cells that take a lot of sugar. For their uncontrolled growth, cancer cells consume loads of sugar. Then broad lighting of the region of cancer tumor would essentially kill cancer cells. Of course this is not ideal because some other body parts love sugar. But I think it is part of solution.

[@strpwnr3]

If you need light, and a very specific one at that, to activate it, how will you deliver it to the patients intestines at all, let alone in a non-invasive way?

[@sascharankin2780]

Read the journal article. They state that UV light has low penetration, and is only applicable to skin and surface cells. However, they also state that using high penetration wavelengths, such as near infra-red, provides the penetration necessary to target cells throughout the body.

[@Muzeishen]

This is the future

[@ferdinandmalana7779]

Bonjour pourquoi certaines vidéo sont uniquement en anglais ne peut on nous les traduire en français?

[@luislerrub]

Congratulations, these are very good news!

[@angiebold2592]

The other day I fell asleep at the dinner table and my husband was right across from me , on his phone. I had a nightmare in that few seconds. My hand popped real loud and it blew up smoke coming off my hand. When the smoke cleared there were coils in my hand instead of bones and the nanobots were positioned all along the coil,(like a cartoon) the nanobots were smiling at me. They had hard hats on and their hairs sticking out all krinkled and they had snaggle toothed grins. Regular folks are tired of being science experiments. How would you like all your teeth to fall out , one at a time over to a 3 year period.finally leaving you with one tooth. That is not loose and probably has a chip under it. Thank God I am saved. Someone is gonna answer for the torture that's being done to regular people who have a hard enough life as it is. Targeted individuals exist! Barely!

[@Gremory_666]

Bacteriophage are kinda like nanomachine too.

[@choryuu]

I'm just gonna say NANOMACHINES SON

[@skabbymuff111]

incredible

[@DudeWhoSaysDeez]

My thoughts are: if we can activate these nano machines directly near JUST THE CANCER CELLS then we have a great idea. What if you triangulate the light waves to the specific cancer cells at 1/3 the power, that way, the nanomachines don't activate near the non-target cells

[@Phantom-hl8ed]

Nanomachine, son

[@MrPanetela]

OK, now after they are introduced and finished off the cancer cells, how are they removed from the body? As I see it, you need to build them into mobile drilling rigs complete with a automatic driver. You don't send in billions. You estimate the number of cancerous cells and send in a squad straight into the affected area. After each driller locates and destroys one cell, it disengages and seek out the next. Once the job is done, you give the patient an injection that disassembles the nano machines. If the condition returns, you give the patient another injection that reassembles them again.

[@theeponym]

These are way smaller than a cell. You need thousands of nanomachines per cell.

[@crabohato4954]

A lot of machines are planned to be biodegradable. Once they enter your body, they just kinda die without harming the body

[@Darkstar_8473]

Nice ... now the billion dollar question is how do we weaponize it ...

[@jakehill9938]

If these things can kill cancer cells, then they can no doubt be customized to also cause cancer. Inject a little benzene, HIV, bacteria, etc into these cells and it's light's out for the recipient.

[@Versaites]

Probably pretty tough to inject anything into them since they're thousands of times smaller than a cell, are more or less a configuration of molecules, and only "drill" when activated by light (probably at a specific wavelength). No doubt there are likely ways of weaponizing it, as with anything else. But not in this fashion I think

[@nonameplsno8828]

get them into peoples bloodstream and let the sunlight do the rest

[@Versaites]

3 problems 1. Sunlight probably won't cut it, you probably need a light source with a more specific (and likely much smaller) wavelength to even interact with them 2. Intensity and light direction is likely also a factor which would mean a laser would be needed to activate them 3. Your skin is kinda in the way

[@nonameplsno8828]

and i was joking. this is not going to work unless the victim either uses an UV machine or gets a sunburn. and a sunburn already destroys your cells anyway so idk

[@stevenarmstrong6297]

NANOMACHINES SON

[@ArchieArcticFox]

THEY HARDEN IN RESPONSE TO PHYSICAL TRAUMA

[@mrplainwhite375]

​@@ArchieArcticFox YOU CAN'T HURT ME JACK

[@amykaur7984]

.. and of course any dangerous bacteria that is caused by food is dangerous.. and sometime fatal., also if this works.. than more research into people suffering from brain damage... maybe cells become new and maybe good hope for people who suffer from seizures...

[@vvskiitlesvv]

Evil place

[@JH-ct1bm]

Playing God? I doubt that will work well!

[@karlhans6678]

We become gods cause theres no god to help us.

[@leetorry]

Perhaps maybe, just maybe, God gave us these tools to "play" God. What, is cancer like this gift from God that we should cherish?

[@MichaelOfAnthony]

Foxdie!

[@adrianadasilva2288]

Salut a tous c'est mcskyz. Vous aurez pas des nanorobots pour forer la tombe de ma chaine

[@erikals]

a REVOLUTION !!! AWESOME !! :D :D [bowdown!]

[@jakehill9938]

Imagine a cell that develops resistance to nanomachines. It's unlikely, but given enough time, it will happen.

[@alexelitist8370]

how?

[@jakehill9938]

I'm not familiar enough with the details of the research to speculate how. But, with enough time, evolutions tends to find a way.

[@jakehill9938]

I'm not discrediting this research whatsoever. If perfected, it has the opportunity to save countless lives. I'm just thinking another step ahead. Cancer will fight back eventually, and we will constantly have to alter and perfect this technology to stay ahead of the genetic arms race that is Oncology.

[@Darkstar_8473]

How ...??? Your body has yet to develop a resistance to bullets ... it's not biological so it will never form a resistance to it.

[@jakehill9938]

I said in the previous post, I don't know how. There are so many variables to consider. Cancers from different cellular lineages have very different characteristics. Cancer behaves as a living, breathing, (somewhat)autonomous organism within our bodies. It expresses darwinian selective survival just like any other organism does. It is entirely plausible that cancer could develop resistance to this, or any other treatment. Do you disagree? If so, for what reasons?

[@arielatomhc]

These people are playing god

[@angiebold2592]

That's right. Satan always does!

[@samuelyeet6006]

Not one photo of the actual machine though?????? If they can build the machine, then they can film it.. No excuses.. I'm calling bullshit

[@hhhuthhhjj5599]

Wutt

[@samuelyeet6006]

@@hhhuthhhjj5599 they didn't once show an actual photo or video of a nanomachine...

[@crabohato4954]

@@samuelyeet6006 I think you can actually see them. See the black spots? Those might be them. Nanomachines are just MUCH more smaller than cells