DNA nanorobot functions as cancer therapeutic

Engineers with the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in Beijing have designed an autonomous DNA nanorobot that is capable of delivering drugs to tumor cells with specific molecular triggers. “Our nanorobot is functionalized on the outside with a DNA aptamer that binds nucleolin, a protein specifically expressed on tumor-associated endothelial cells, and the blood coagulation protease thrombin within its inner cavity. The nucleolin-targeting aptamer serves both as a targeting domain and as a molecular trigger for the mechanical opening of the DNA nanorobot.”  MORE

Image Credit:   National Center for Nanoscience and Technology and Nature.com