🧬 Breakthrough in Cancer Treatment: DNA Nanorobots Target Tumors With Precision
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet have developed an astonishing new weapon in the fight against cancer: DNA nanorobots capable of attacking tumor cells without harming healthy tissues.
This innovation, rooted in DNA origami, opens a new era of precision nanomedicine.
🧠 How It Works
These nanorobots are designed using hexagonal DNA structures that house cytotoxic ligands. What makes them revolutionary is their selective activation:
- 🧪 The structure stays inactive in normal tissues
- ⚠️ It becomes active only in acidic microenvironments, typical of tumors
- 🎯 Upon activation, the ligands unfold in a precise 10-nanometer pattern, triggering selective cancer cell death
🔬 Tested on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
In lab cultures and mouse models, the DNA nanorobots:
- Significantly reduced tumor growth
- Did not harm surrounding healthy cells
- Caused no serious side effects
This represents a new class of therapy: one that combines diagnosis and treatment into a single nanosystem, functioning only in the presence of cancer.
🌍 Why It Matters
Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of the disease. The success of these DNA nanorobots in preclinical trials paves the way for treating:
- Other resistant solid tumors
- Metastatic cancer
- Personalized cancer therapy
🔮 What’s Next?
The team at Karolinska aims to continue developing this platform for clinical trials, with hopes of revolutionizing how we approach targeted cancer treatment in the next decade.
By ✍️ Yorlinda Ramìrez - MicuPost Team
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