Molecular robots make their first nanosteps
"Walking" molecule designed by chemists from the University of Oxford, is so small that it is impossible to consider even the most powerful microscope, made her first steps, the length of which is only about one nanometer. This case is the first in the history of modern science, when a series of tiny steps taken molecule nanorobots, was recorded in real time. This all is a significant milestone in the development of these nanorobots capable to deliver drugs to fight the cancer cells and do a lot of other work at the microscopic level beyond the reach of perception not only naked, but poorly armed eye
"Just imagine, in the future, such a tiny molecular machines will be able to carry on the payload itself as molecular size, which will be the supplies or parts from other, more complex machines that can work even inside living cells," - says Dr. Gokce Su Pulcu from the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Oxford, - "But our ultimate goal is to develop a universal nanotransport network that can be deployed anywhere, on which" find "will carry their loads."
However, before molecular nanorobots will be able to "run" to the transport network, they must first learn to walk as a child, taking small steps. "And it is quite a challenge," - said Dr. Su - "For some time already been created nanomachines and nanorobots walking, made of DNA molecules, and moving along paths of the same DNA. Unfortunately, such systems have DNA sizes much larger molecular our "walkers", and they work only in the aquatic environment. "
One of the main problems faced by scientists, develop any moving nanorobots is that even the most powerful microscopes are not able to see objects the size of 10-20 nm. This in turn means that the movement of "nanohodokov" whose pitch is approximately 1 nanometer may be detected only after the as tiny device will 15-20 steps. And so, with the help of a microscope is not possible to determine exactly how the device is moved from one point to another, whether it walked away as it should be, whether it is "bounced", "flew" and missed several intermediate steps.
Dr. Su with her colleagues from the research group Bayley Group used a new approach, which allows to determine in real time every step that makes molecular nanorobot-move. This consisted of a nanorobot molecules consisting of containing arsenic atoms, and its movement was recorded on the trail, leave them on so-called nanopores, holes of very small diameter, filled with certain chemicals.
The above-mentioned are the product of the nanopore sequencing DNA innovative technology developed by scientists and specialists Bayley Group subsidiary of Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Through nanopores filled with a certain type of protein, weak electrical current is passed. "Nanohodok" walking on these nanopores, causing changes in the protein structure, which leaves them are followed and that affect the strength of the current of the electric current.
"We can not see how our" walker "moves. But, creating a diagram of the ion current flowing through the pore, we can track how molecules move from one point to another support" - explains Dr. Su.
In order to keep his "walker" to break away from the surface and float away into space, researchers have provided him with chemically active "legs" atoms form chemical bonds with the material surface on which steps the molecule. "It's like if you were on the surface coated with an adhesive composition" - explains Dr. Su - "Every time" leg "of the molecule, coming into contact with the surface, stick to it, forming a bond. And we have chosen for the legs molecules of a substance which will allow it to move through a variety of different surfaces. "
Implementation of indexing for such a tiny nanomachines in itself is quite a big achievement. However, until the appearance of the first universal programmable nanobots will be a long time. "Currently, we still can not accurately control the direction in which to move our" finds". "Now it moves quite chaotic way" - says Dr. Su - "However, if we can create a kind of expensive for such molecules, for which it will be much easier to navigate, the walkers will go on this way, and this means that we will be able to direct them to where we need. "
The next step is to create a molecule scientists-walker, which will be able to do useful work, for example, transferring some cargo. Scientists are now considering the option of placing cargo on the "head" of the molecule, where it has to have enough free space. All this is only the first timid steps of a completely new technology, technology that will bring in the future is very much useful to all mankind as a whole.
"Walking" molecule designed by chemists from the University of Oxford, is so small that it is impossible to consider even the most powerful microscope, made her first steps, the length of which is only about one nanometer. This case is the first in the history of modern science, when a series of tiny steps taken molecule nanorobots, was recorded in real time. This all is a significant milestone in the development of these nanorobots capable to deliver drugs to fight the cancer cells and do a lot of other work at the microscopic level beyond the reach of perception not only naked, but poorly armed eye
"Just imagine, in the future, such a tiny molecular machines will be able to carry on the payload itself as molecular size, which will be the supplies or parts from other, more complex machines that can work even inside living cells," - says Dr. Gokce Su Pulcu from the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Oxford, - "But our ultimate goal is to develop a universal nanotransport network that can be deployed anywhere, on which" find "will carry their loads."
However, before molecular nanorobots will be able to "run" to the transport network, they must first learn to walk as a child, taking small steps. "And it is quite a challenge," - said Dr. Su - "For some time already been created nanomachines and nanorobots walking, made of DNA molecules, and moving along paths of the same DNA. Unfortunately, such systems have DNA sizes much larger molecular our "walkers", and they work only in the aquatic environment. "
One of the main problems faced by scientists, develop any moving nanorobots is that even the most powerful microscopes are not able to see objects the size of 10-20 nm. This in turn means that the movement of "nanohodokov" whose pitch is approximately 1 nanometer may be detected only after the as tiny device will 15-20 steps. And so, with the help of a microscope is not possible to determine exactly how the device is moved from one point to another, whether it walked away as it should be, whether it is "bounced", "flew" and missed several intermediate steps.
Dr. Su with her colleagues from the research group Bayley Group used a new approach, which allows to determine in real time every step that makes molecular nanorobot-move. This consisted of a nanorobot molecules consisting of containing arsenic atoms, and its movement was recorded on the trail, leave them on so-called nanopores, holes of very small diameter, filled with certain chemicals.
The above-mentioned are the product of the nanopore sequencing DNA innovative technology developed by scientists and specialists Bayley Group subsidiary of Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Through nanopores filled with a certain type of protein, weak electrical current is passed. "Nanohodok" walking on these nanopores, causing changes in the protein structure, which leaves them are followed and that affect the strength of the current of the electric current.
"We can not see how our" walker "moves. But, creating a diagram of the ion current flowing through the pore, we can track how molecules move from one point to another support" - explains Dr. Su.
In order to keep his "walker" to break away from the surface and float away into space, researchers have provided him with chemically active "legs" atoms form chemical bonds with the material surface on which steps the molecule. "It's like if you were on the surface coated with an adhesive composition" - explains Dr. Su - "Every time" leg "of the molecule, coming into contact with the surface, stick to it, forming a bond. And we have chosen for the legs molecules of a substance which will allow it to move through a variety of different surfaces. "
Implementation of indexing for such a tiny nanomachines in itself is quite a big achievement. However, until the appearance of the first universal programmable nanobots will be a long time. "Currently, we still can not accurately control the direction in which to move our" finds". "Now it moves quite chaotic way" - says Dr. Su - "However, if we can create a kind of expensive for such molecules, for which it will be much easier to navigate, the walkers will go on this way, and this means that we will be able to direct them to where we need. "
The next step is to create a molecule scientists-walker, which will be able to do useful work, for example, transferring some cargo. Scientists are now considering the option of placing cargo on the "head" of the molecule, where it has to have enough free space. All this is only the first timid steps of a completely new technology, technology that will bring in the future is very much useful to all mankind as a whole.
