Microscopic robot taught to sort DNA molecules

Nanorobots, capable of working within the human body, are an extremely promising development. They can conduct diagnostics, monitor the health of people and even treat illness. But something new in this area was invented by scientists from the California Institute of Technology. They developed a miniature biorobot that can "walk" on the surface of a DNA molecule and even rearrange its circuit.

Scientists gathered their robot from three main elements: the body, the limbs for the movement and capture of molecules, and the part responsible for orientation in space and "communication" with the external environment. As the developers reported in an interview with the journal Science,

"Just as mechanical robots work in our world, our molecular robots are designed for missions inside the body, for example, in the bloodstream." Our goal was to design and build a molecular robot that could perform a complex nanomechanical task: sorting DNA molecules. "

The robot moves with the help of "limbs" along the strand of DNA. His "journey" continues until he gets to the molecule that he needs to move. Within 5 minutes, the robot moves 6 nanometers apart. In a series of experiments to test the performance of the new technology, the biorobot sorted six fluorescent molecules of different colors in 24 hours, moving along a "path" of DNA measuring 58 square nanometers. Now scientists are busy optimizing the movements of the robot. According to experts, the principles of the biorobot can be used to synthesize drugs right inside the human body.