DNA Nanobots to Treat Disease in First Human Trial

DNA nanobots are teeny-tiny machines made of DNA - "a naturally biocompatible and biodegradable material." The first human trial for DNA nanobots is scheduled this year for a critically ill patient who only has a few more months to live. The DNA nanobots to be used in this trial are designed to seek and destroy leukaemia cells.

DNA Nanobots Set To Seek and Destroy Cancer Cells In Human Trial

This year, researchers hope that tiny robots built entirely of DNA will help save a critically ill leukemia patient. These DNA nanobots are designed to seek out and destroy cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unscathed. So far, they’ve only been tested in cell cultures and animal studies.

....“No, no it’s not science fiction,” he said. "It’s already happening."

The technology is modeled after our body’s own defenses. Like white blood cells, the nanobots patrol the bloodstream, looking for signs of distress. DNA is a naturally biocompatible and biodegradable material, and the devices are designed to not incite an immune response.

....The patient selected for this year’s early trial has been given only a few more months to live. The team expects to remove the cancer within one month.

Currently, other DNA nanobots can identify 12 different types of cancer cells in humans. As well, researchers envision injectable DNA nanobots treating various other diseases and performing surgeries. Notably, DNA nanobots can be easily shipped round the world to undeveloped regions without adequate hospital facilities.

[DNA nanobots] will deliver enzymes that break down cells via programmable nanoparticles.

Delivering insulin to tell cells to grow and regenerate tissue at the desired location.

Surgery would be performed by putting the programmable nanoparticles into saline and injecting them into the body to seek out remove bad cells and grow new cells and perform other medical work.

One Trillion 50 nanometer nanobots in a syringe will be injected into people to perform cellular surgery.

The DNA nanobots have been tuned to not cause an immune response.

They have been adjusted for different kinds of medical procedures. Procedures can be quick or ones that last many days.

Medicine or treatment released based upon molecular sensing - Only targeted cells are treated

Using DNA origami and molecular programming, they are reality. These nanobots can seek and kill cancer cells, mimic social insect behaviors, carry out logical operators like a computer in a living animal, and they can be controlled from an Xbox.

......This is programmable dna nanotechnology.

Some of us have flagged accelerated evolution in viruses, bacteria and other microbes - and expressed our concerns about keeping up in terms of adapting and evolving along with the nano- and microscopic life on our planet. Never mind the H5N1 experiments, where do DNA nanobots fit into the pandemic picture? ...Are they a game-changer? What if they get loose? Will it matter? What if they already are loose? Does it matter?

Where do i sign up?? Helps with insulin and diabetes solution to my endemic buy like you said it could get outta hand look at the show revolution.. kinda scary huh. a reply to: soficrow

a reply to: ATF1886

Are you absolutely certain you want trillions of invisible machines inside your body?



.....Thanks for responding. ; )

I mean if it will solve my problem then hell yea!!! But who would be in control of the Nanos umm on second thought ill stick to taking insulin...a reply to: soficrow

What I see if nanobots are a success. Increase in age and wellness of living.

Great you figured it out in the long run, but what about long term effects? Less people dying means more people living. Where are all those people going to go? Aren't our cities already populated enough?

On top of population growth you must add all the living nessessities,food,water,petroleum, etc. Add all that up on top of our already failing society and it leads to inevitable war to equal itself back out.

I would turn from medical nanobots to ones for a more practical present use. "Tune" them to desalinate water, to create better soils in otherwise barren lands. Now that would actually benefit our species as a whole.

OR they create nanobots with disease fighting capabilities only to slap an enormous price tag on it for the wealthy, then make it so only the elites can afford it and create near immortal tycoons that will only use that for greed. Accumulating enough money to make them nearly untouchable.

But moral of the story it's too soon.

a reply to: TheLotLizard

Too soon? You MUST be young, heh...

Many would argue it's too late... if they could.

Yea def a youngin how many lives can it save that are on the brink?? a reply to: TheLotLizard

Absolutely amazing, and well-predicted by many minds for a while now. 2020ish is right in line with what I foresaw a decade ago. As for if I want them in me, with the new exotic tech coming out, I'd rather be towards the back end of the early adopters. I'm young enough (hopefully) to wait this one out for another decade or so before needing or wanting it.

I had some interesting thoughts come to mind in relation to (I won't say it's common name, as it's got the same rap as CTers) the government experimenting on population from the sky. A friend once mentioned his thoughts were of experiments to try and vaccinate people in case of bioterrorism. I recall some of the more out-there thoughts were of self-organizing nanobots in this airborne mix of unknowns. The time frame matches with the second video mentioning work on organizing dna into various shapes starting 3 decades ago ,and becoming perfected some 7 years ago. Interesting.

Back on topic, S & F for now, and I'll chime back in when more thoughts come to mind.

a reply to: soficrow

The trouble with Tribbles....

Imagine what other mission they could be used for.

Do YOU trust your government that much?

I have a chronic, serious medical issue and I say hell no, I'll pass.

a reply to: TheLotLizard

OR - 'they' create nanobots programmed to target specific 'genetic groups' - and to kill instead of cure - then set them loose on the planet. Kinda like viruses and bacteria. Equally invisible and mysterious, equally deadly to some while others are 'immune.'


Hmmm. Done before?

Ready for the Zombie Apocalypse!!!!!!!!!!!!



One a second Note I am curious about this!

Are we one step closer to Longevity?

a reply to: pl3bscheese

.....A friend once mentioned his thoughts were of experiments to try and vaccinate people in case of bioterrorism. I recall some of the more out-there thoughts were of self-organizing nanobots in this airborne mix of unknowns. The time frame matches with the second video mentioning work on organizing dna into various shapes starting 3 decades ago ,and becoming perfected some 7 years ago. Interesting. ....

The coverage mentions "modelling insect behavior" - which I take to mean self-organizing - and maybe flocking and pack formation. ...Have you read Michael Crichton's "Prey"? If not you should.

The focus is on "biodegradable" and there's no mention of DNA nanobots having reproductive or self-replicating abilities. Still, and in Crichton's immortal words, "Life WILL find a way." ...fyi - We're not ready.


PS. Thanks, and S& to you.

a reply to: soficrow

The guy has an interesting mind. I knew exactly where he was going when he started with wondering how to go about mimicking nature's swarm. I'd have taken the same approach. DNA is all throughout our cells. Imagine hijacking a cell, snagging it's DNA, and using the resources surrounding to help power the self-replication process. Very close to a retrovirus.

I have not read any of Crichton's work, though dozens now have suggested I read him. Humanity is never ready for innovation, we usually demonize the geniuses who change the course of the species. What this does is greatly speed up the quirkiness of people. We're now talking about finding an Earth-like planet within a lifespans worth of traveling near the speed of light, humans extending their healthspan and lifespan greatly, and engineering future generations to handle space, and beyond! Who is ready for this, truly? We'll have 8 billion shoulder shruggers soon enough, but that doesn't change the pace, or direction. Nothing and nobody can.

a reply to: soficrow

I'm with Kurzweil in his statement about longevity. All of us on ATS are members of either the last generation to die or the first to live forever.

We are seeing the first steps towards that reality.

a reply to: pl3bscheese

You know a lot about Crichton's hypotheses (eg. nano-swarms) considering you haven't read him. Oh wait! Did you mean Bachelet? Did he talk about swarms too? (Missed it if he did.)

fyi - While the entrepreneurs are talking about extending health spans and lifespans, fact is, our health spans and lifespans have greatly diminished over the past couple of centuries. Used to be if you made it out of childhood and through doctor attended childbirth, you were good to go for 10-odd decades. Now - you're lucky if you can still get it up at 40 and don't need diapers at 50. Not an improvement by any standard.

As far as engineering future generations to handle space, we're already epigenetically equipped to respond rapidly to environmental change and adapt - without messing up our hard drives. Why fix what ain't broke?

Re: Near-speed-of-light space travel. I'm waiting for the iWormhole.




S& & thanks.

originally posted by: Ultralight
a reply to: soficrow

The trouble with Tribbles....

Imagine what other mission they could be used for.

Do YOU trust your government that much?

I have a chronic, serious medical issue and I say hell no, I'll pass.

Ah Tribbles - add swarming ability to that reproductive one. And never mind what they could be used for - what about what THEY decide they wanna get up to? And no, I don't trust my national government that much - and I trust the our global corporate government even less.


I'll pass too.


S& Thanks.

originally posted by: soficrow
a reply to: pl3bscheese

You know a lot about Crichton's hypotheses (eg. nano-swarms) considering you haven't read him. Oh wait! Did you mean Bachelet? Did he talk about swarms too? (Missed it if he did.)

Dunno, I'm finding my mind to be more sponge-like than the norm, especially for my age. No clue where I pick up most of my information. It certainly helped ace final lab today, boy did I pull a dozen of correct steps out of nowhere! 1/3 of the class washed out. If you got stuck, you failed. Fun stuff.

fyi - While the entrepreneurs are talking about extending health spans and lifespans, fact is, our health spans and lifespans have greatly diminished over the past couple of centuries. Used to be if you made it out of childhood and through doctor attended childbirth, you were good to go for 10-odd decades. Now - you're lucky if you can still get it up at 40 and don't need diapers at 50. Not an improvement by any standard.

Testosterone is certainly declining, and many have erectile dysfunction when they should still be in their prime. I'm not sure about less people being centenarians now a years, seems to be increasing with every new report. I leverage my awareness of the ongoing changes to keep virility, a lot is in the diet.

As far as engineering future generations to handle space, we're already epigenetically equipped to respond rapidly to environmental change and adapt - without messing up our hard drives. Why fix what ain't broke?

Epigenetics is like flagging commands for scripts to be run. You can change the way in which the code is run, but the underlying architecture remains. We still have biological limits as we are, which can be surpassed with the tinkering. That would be like upgrading the programming language to create new architectural suites. I'm all for it. No fear at obsolescence of homo sapiens.

Re: Near-speed-of-light space travel. I'm waiting for the iWormhole.

At these rates, who can't afford a paradox or none?

a reply to: soficrow

a reply to: pl3bscheese

Epigenetics is like flagging commands for scripts to be run. You can change the way in which the code is run, but the underlying architecture remains. We still have biological limits as we are, which can be surpassed with the tinkering. That would be like upgrading the programming language to create new architectural suites. I'm all for it. No fear at obsolescence of homo sapiens.

I'm not so sure we have the limits you seem to think we do - and I definitely think epigenetics is much more than you see it is. Far far more than just flagging commands for script - it can override and rewrite, then flip back. Pretty cool. ...I don't know enough so I can't play this metaphor well - but - I'd say the underlying architecture makes for infinite possibilities given the responsive capability of the epigenetic program, and the only real problem is that we keep dumping coffee on the keyboard. And gumming up the motherboard too. Stupid.