Molecular 'robots' can perform complex logic tasks inside a living organism.
Ido Bachelet of Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, and his colleagues used folded strands of DNA to create a suite of nanorobots that open, close and coordinate with each other in response to various interactions with certain proteins. When the robots were injected into a living cockroach (Blaberus discoidalis; pictured), different robot combinations created seven kinds of logic gate that each delivers a different outcome — such as releasing various antibody payloads — on the basis of specific protein cues.
The authors suggest that the technique might eventually be used to control drug delivery in humans.
Nature Nanotechnol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2014.58 (2014)
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DNA robots work in a live cockroach. Nature 508, 153 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/508153e
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/508153e