A group of American researchers have developed a series of six incredibly small drills. Each of them
These nanomachines work by attaching themselves tosurfaces of bacterial cells. When exposed to light, they spin at incredibly high speeds, punching holes directly into the bacteria. The new technology is described in a paper published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances.
“We have already shown that we can eliminate cancercells with the help of these nanomachines, drilling into them. Now they can kill bacteria. It doesn't matter if they are gram-negative or gram-positive. It doesn't matter what kind of bacteria it is. It kills them all, indiscriminately,” James Tur, co-author of the study, told IE.
This type of molecular motor was developed by BenFeringoy, who won the Nobel Prize in 2016 for creating molecules that spin when you shine ultraviolet light on them. The authors of the new study took these structures and modified them so that they could work with visible light. Scientists have also improved them so that they attach to the surface of bacterial cells.
Ultimately, when these drills are illuminated, they spin at about 3 million revolutions per second and end up making a hole in the bacterial membrane.
At the same time, sunlight cannot unintentionallyrun these nanomachines. Activation requires a specific wavelength of light and its intensity. It is a very selective system. “It is activated only where doctors treat the area and where the light is directed,” the scientists conclude.
Read more
Monkeypox is becoming a global virus: why it is transmitted so quickly
Something strange is happening in the Universe: how to explain inconsistencies in the Hubble constant
Diagnosis in a minute: how IT is changing healthcare