Scientists test DNA bots on insects

Israeli and American scientists have inserted nanobots made of DNA into cockroaches, which are able to interact with the animal’s cells as well as amongst themselves, and release drugs into its system. The technology could in the future be used to treat human illnesses including cancer.

The tiny robots, also known as origami robots due to their ability to fold and unfold their DNA strands to release medicinal molecules held within, can be programmed to release their packages upon contact with certain other molecules – such as those of a diseased cell.

“This is the first time that biological therapy has been able to match how a computer processor works,” study co-author Ido Bachelet of the Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials at Bar Ilan University told New Scientist this week.

The scientists have marked the minuscule robots with fluorescent material, enabling them to track their movements and actions inside the cockroaches’ bodies.

The robots are made of biological material – custom-made DNA, which is ideal for such purposes as it can store large amounts of information. Different DNA sequences dictate different actions and reactions in the nanorobots.

“DNA nanorobots could potentially carry out complex programs that could one day be used to diagnose or treat diseases with unprecedented sophistication,” study co-author Daniel Levner of Harvard University told New Scientist this week.

While application in mammals is more difficult due to their advanced immune systems which attack foreign bodies such as the nanobots, Bachelet said solutions would soon be at hand.

“There is no reason why preliminary trials on humans can’t start within five years,” he said.