Koreans made a nanobot to fight cancer

South Korean scientists are developing a cure for cancer that will be more effective and less harmful to the body than chemotherapy. The National University Chonnam team has developed a nanobot that can recognize cancer cells and cure cells by avoiding the harmful side effect of existing drugs.







Scientists have genetically modified the salmonella bacterium, which reaches for tumors using substances secreted by cancer cells. There are microscopic robots in the bacteria, about 3 micrometers in size, which automatically release capsules filled with medications as soon as the bacteria reaches the tumor.

')

“This is the first nanobot in the world for active use in medicine,” says the South Korean ministry of science, creative technologies and future planning, which was sponsored by this study.



Modern chemotherapy uses chemicals that attack rapidly dividing cancer cells (this is the main symptom of a cancer cell). This means that cells that quickly divide in nature, such as hair or bone cells, are also exposed to chemicals, which is the cause of the side effects of chemotherapy.



Bacteriobot, the so-called creation of South Korean scientists, delivers the drug directly to the tumor cells, thereby leaving healthy cells untouched.



Bacteriobot can only detect tumor-forming cancer, such as breast cancer or colorectal cancer, but the team states that in the future it will be able to identify all types of cancer.



Nanobots successfully passed the test on mice and the team is confident that they will cope with human diseases perfectly. Bacteriobot is patented in the States, Japan and Europe.