Fighting Cancer from Inside with Nanotechnology
Pixabay
Cancer is a modern scourge that has claimed over 600,000 Americans in 2020. Over 1.8 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer and will face treatment options. New research and development has added a new tool to the toolbox of cancer care- nanorobots with the ability to locate cancer cells and burrow into them, killing them mechanically from the inside.
Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are the traditional routes to cure cancer. Over the years, immunotherapy has become much more prevalent in cancer treatment and a number of customizable drugs can be formulated to attack cancer in an individual's body. Radiation, chemotherapy and surgery are hard on the body and often weaken the patient. Organs can be damaged as treatments are applied due to the harsh nature of the chemicals, and surgery can be hard to recover from.
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology has been working to develop cancer-killing nanotechnology. The nanotechnology uses gold structures that are added to organic and inorganic compounds to create a cancer-hunting nanomachine. These nanomachines work mechanically around cancer cells with a lower pH than healthy cells. When a normal cell is encountered the structure on the outside of the cell does not open and protein folding does not occur. Normal cells are generally pH neutral and will not trigger the reaction.
The implications of this new technolgy are groundbreaking. A nanomachine can be injected into a cancer patient or site and the cells that threaten them can be mechanically destroyed by the folding of proteins on the nanomachine shell. Recovering the nanomachines can be accomplished after treatment, and this process must be airtight to avoid complications. Gold is inert and not a hazardous waste, so it can be recovered and reused if possible.
Posted on Hive, Blurt and Steemit