Motorized Molecules Drill through and Destroy Cancer Cells
Rice University engineers have constructed nanomachines to deliver drugs and destroy diseased cells. The motorized molecules are driven by light, and have been used to drill holes in the membranes of individual cells and show promise for either bringing therapeutic agents into the cells or directly inducing the cells to die. The researchers predict that the nanomachines will help target cancers like breast tumors and melanomas that resist existing chemotherapy.