https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Colorectal cancer, the abnormal growth of cancerous cells in the large intestine or the rectum, is one of the most common types of cancers worldwide. Available treatments for this type of cancer include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery and interventions designed to strengthen patients' immune system (i.e., immunotherapies). https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nanorobot-immune-cell-recognition-colorectal.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:10:01 EST news687782621 Micro/nanorobots have progressed from science fiction to real-world applications in biomedicine, environmental remediation, and sensing. UA faculty member, Dr. Amir Nourhani is among 103 researchers worldwide contributing to an extensive mega-review titled "Technology Roadmap of Micro/Nanorobots," published in ACS Nano. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-technology-roadmap-micronanorobots.html Nanophysics Fri, 22 Aug 2025 07:42:21 EDT news675067339 The shape and morphology of a cell play a key role in the biological function. This corresponds to the principle of "form follows function," which is common in modern fields of design and architecture. The transfer of this principle to artificial cells is a challenge in synthetic biology. Advances in DNA nanotechnology now offer promising solutions. They allow the creation of novel transport channels that are large enough to facilitate the passage of therapeutic proteins across cell membranes. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-dna-nanorobots-artificial-cells-tool.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 13 Jan 2025 12:46:04 EST news655994762 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed nanorobots that kill cancer cells in mice. The robot's weapon is hidden in a nanostructure and is exposed only in the tumor microenvironment, sparing healthy cells. The study is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-nanorobot-cancer-cells-mice-hidden.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 01 Jul 2024 05:00:01 EDT news638798332 Bladder cancer has one of the highest incidence rates in the world and ranks as the fourth most common tumor in men. Despite its relatively low mortality rate, nearly half of bladder tumors resurface within 5 years, requiring ongoing patient monitoring. Frequent hospital visits and the need for repeat treatments contribute to making this type of cancer one of the most expensive to cure. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-dose-urea-powered-nanorobots-bladder.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 15 Jan 2024 05:00:01 EST news624287274 Researchers at universities in New York and Ningbo, China, say they have created tiny robots built from DNA that can reproduce themselves. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-3d-dna-nanorobots.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 07 Dec 2023 12:40:01 EST news621174868 Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed microscopic robots, called microrobots, that can swim around in the lungs, deliver medication and be used to clear up life-threatening cases of bacterial pneumonia. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-nanorobots-deadly-pneumonia-mice.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 22 Sep 2022 11:00:03 EDT news583050713 An international team of researchers has developed nanorobots capable of removing heavy metals from polluted water. In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the group describes their nanorobots and how well they worked when tested. https://phys.org/news/2022-03-nanorobots-heavy-metals-polluted.html Nanomaterials Wed, 02 Mar 2022 08:05:52 EST news565430746 Nanobots are machines whose components are at the nano-scale (one-millionth of a millimeter), and can be designed in such a way that they have the ability to move autonomously in fluids. Although they are still in the research and development phase, significant advances are being made toward the use of nanorobots in biomedicine. Their applications are varied, from the identification of tumor cells to the release of drugs in specific locations of the body. Nanorobots powered by catalytic enzymes are among the most promising systems because they are fully biocompatible and can make use of "fuels" already available in the body for their propulsion. However, understanding the collective behavior of these nanorobots is essential to advance towards their use in clinical practice. https://phys.org/news/2021-03-movement-nanorobots-vivo.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 17 Mar 2021 14:00:06 EDT news535194450 A group of researchers from ITMO University has come up with the concept of a new drug against cancer: a nanorobot made of DNA fragments, which can potentially be used not only to destroy cancer cells, but also to locate them in the body. The research is published in Chemistry—A European Journal. https://phys.org/news/2020-02-dna-based-nanorobot-cancer-diagnostics.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 05 Feb 2020 07:28:37 EST news500110110 According to the Mayo Clinic, about 20% of breast cancers make abnormally high levels of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). When displayed on the surface of cancer cells, this signaling protein helps them proliferate uncontrollably and is linked with a poor prognosis. Now, researchers have developed a DNA nanorobot that recognizes HER2 on breast cancer cells, targeting them for destruction. They report their results in the ACS journal Nano Letters. https://phys.org/news/2019-06-dna-nanorobots-her2-positive-breast-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 05 Jun 2019 08:00:01 EDT news478936177 Researchers of the Micro, Nano and Molecular Systems Lab at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, together with an international team of scientists, have developed propeller-shaped nanorobots that, for the first time, are able to drill through dense tissue as is prevalent in an eye. They applied a non-stick coating to the nanopropellers, which are only 500 nm wide – exactly small enough to fit through the tight molecular matrix of the gel-like substance in the vitreous. The drills are 200 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, even smaller than a bacterium´s width. Their shape and their slippery coating enable the nanopropellers to move relatively unhindered through an eye, without damaging the sensitive biological tissue around them. This is the first time scientists were able to steer nanorobots through dense tissue, as so far, it has only been demonstrated in model systems or biological fluids. The researchers' vision is to one day load the nanopropellers with drugs or other therapeutic agents and steer them to a targeted area, where they can deliver the medication to where it is needed. https://phys.org/news/2018-11-nanorobots-propel-eye.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 05 Nov 2018 08:31:39 EST news460629093 Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed tiny ultrasound-powered robots that can swim through blood, removing harmful bacteria along with the toxins they produce. These proof-of-concept nanorobots could one day offer a safe and efficient way to detoxify and decontaminate biological fluids. https://phys.org/news/2018-05-cell-like-nanorobots-bacteria-toxins-blood.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 31 May 2018 02:51:52 EDT news446953886 In a major advancement in nanomedicine, Arizona State University (ASU) scientists, in collaboration with researchers from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have successfully programmed nanorobots to shrink tumors by cutting off their blood supply. https://phys.org/news/2018-02-cancer-fighting-nanorobots-tumors.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 12 Feb 2018 11:00:02 EST news437638261 A team of researchers led by Dr Jinyao Tang of the Department of Chemistry, the University of Hong Kong, has developed the world's first light-seeking synthetic Nano robot. With size comparable to a blood cell, those tiny robots have the potential to be injected into patients' bodies, helping surgeons to remove tumors and enabling more precise engineering of targeted medications. The findings have been published in October earlier in leading scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2016-11-chemists-world-light-seeking-synthetic-nanorobot.html Nanophysics Tue, 08 Nov 2016 10:24:22 EST news397823052 Researchers from Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Montréal and McGill University have just achieved a spectacular breakthrough in cancer research. They have developed new nanorobotic agents capable of navigating through the bloodstream to administer a drug with precision by specifically targeting the active cancerous cells of tumours. This way of injecting medication ensures the optimal targeting of a tumour and avoids jeopardizing the integrity of organs and surrounding healthy tissues. As a result, the drug dosage that is highly toxic for the human organism could be significantly reduced. https://phys.org/news/2016-08-legions-nanorobots-cancerous-tumours-precision.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 15 Aug 2016 14:24:37 EDT news390489843 A walking molecule, so small that it cannot be observed directly with a microscope, has been recorded taking its first nanometre-sized steps. https://phys.org/news/2014-12-baby-molecular-robots.html Nanophysics Thu, 11 Dec 2014 07:26:14 EST news337505144 Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, working with their collaborators at the Hospital for Special Surgery, have created a fleet of molecular "robots" that can home in on specific human cells and mark them for drug therapy or destruction. https://phys.org/news/2013-08-dna-nanorobots-tag-cellular.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 07 Aug 2013 13:59:33 EDT news295102759 (Phys.org)—Nanotechnology is such a new innovation that no one is really sure what will come of it. Predictions range from the ability to reproduce things like diamonds and food, to the world being devoured by self-replicating nanorobots. https://phys.org/news/2013-02-nanoparticles-immune.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:30:05 EST news279966029 (Phys.org) -- University of Florida researchers have moved a step closer to treating diseases on a cellular level by creating a tiny particle that can be programmed to shut down the genetic production line that cranks out disease-related proteins. https://phys.org/news/2012-07-nanorobot-diseases.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:50:21 EDT news261676195 Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have developed a robotic device made from DNA that could potentially seek out specific cell targets within a complex mixture of cell types and deliver important molecular instructions, such as telling cancer cells to self-destruct. Inspired by the mechanics of the body's own immune system, the technology might one day be used to program immune responses to treat various diseases. The research findings appear today in Science. https://phys.org/news/2012-02-dna-nanorobot-triggers-therapeutic-responses.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:00:06 EST news248612337 Is the emerging field of nanomedicine a breathtaking technological revolution that promises remarkable new ways of diagnosing and treating diseases? Or does it portend the release of dangerous nanoparticles, nanorobots or nanoelectronic devices that will wreak havoc in the body? A new review of more than 500 studies on the topic concludes that neither scenario is likely. It appears in ACS' journal Molecular Pharmaceutics. https://phys.org/news/2011-11-realistic-perils-nanomedicine.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:50:01 EST news240672917 (PhysOrg.com) -- Though it seems like science fiction, microscopic "factories" in which nanomachines produce tiny structures for miniaturized components or nanorobots that destroy tumor cells within the body and scrape blockages from our arteries may become reality in the foreseeable future. Nanomotors could transport drugs to specific target organs more rapidly or pilot analytes through the tiny channels on microchip diagnostic systems. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Ayusman Sen and his team from Pennsylvania State University (USA) describe a new type of micromotor that is powered by a polymerization reaction and deposits tiny threads along its trail like a microspider. https://phys.org/news/2011-09-microspiders-polymerization-reaction-micromotors.html Polymers Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:12:45 EDT news234180733 (PhysOrg.com) -- Engineering professor's nanorobot could be performing non-invasive surgical procedures on patients with tumors within the next decade. https://phys.org/news/2009-12-medical-frontier-nano-surgery.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:40:07 EST news180637694