Tiny robots that can swim in the bloodstream and attack diseases may sound as if they belong in a sci-fi film.

But these so-called nanorobots are set to be used to treat a person who is seriously ill with leukaemia.

The lead researcher behind the innovation hopes the patient could be cured within a month - and has already successfully tested the machines in animals.

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Nanorobots (pictured) which are made from a DNA 'cage' and hold a payload of drugs, could be used to treat a person who is seriously ill with leukaemia. The lead researcher behind the innovation hopes that the patient could be cured within a month, based upon successful tests in animals

Ido Bachelet, who was previously at Harvard’s Wyss Institute in Boston, Massachusetts and Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, intends to treat a patient who has been given six months to live.

The patient is set to receive an injection of DNA nanorobots designed to interact with and destroy leukaemia cells without damaging healthy tissue.

Speaking in December, he said: ‘Judging from what we saw [in tests], within a month that person is going to recover.

Nanorobots can be programmed to independently recognise target cells and deliver payloads, such as cancer drugs, to these cells.

The double helixes stay closed until specific molecules or proteins on the surface of cancer cells act like a 'key' to open the ‘barrel’ so the payload can be deployed. This diagram shows the nanorobot being 'unlocked' so the drugs (shown in purple) are released

WHAT ARE NANOROBOTS? Nanorobots are 'devices' made from DNA that are so small they can be injected into the bloodstream and carry a payload of drugs to specific cells. They are built upon a single strand of DNA which is combined with short synthetic strands of DNA designed by the experts. When mixed together, they self-assemble into a desired shape, which in this case looks a bit like an open-ended barrel. The robots have two halves linked together by flexible DNA hinges, which are held shut by latches that are DNA double helixes A complementary piece of DNA is attached to a payload of drugs, which enables it to bind to the inside of the biological barrel. The double helixes stay closed until specific molecules or proteins on the surface of cancer cells act like a 'key' to open the ‘barrel’ so the payload can be deployed. Nanorobots can recognise a small population of target cells within a large population. Advertisement

George Church, who is involved in the research at the Wyss Institute explained the idea of the microscopic robots is to make a ‘cage’ that protects a fragile or toxic payload and ‘only releases it at the right moment.’

The nanorobots are built upon a single strand of DNA which is combined with short synthetic strands of DNA designed by the experts.

When mixed together, they self-assemble into a desired shape, which in this case looks a little like a barrel.

Dr Bachelet said: 'The nanorobot we designed actually looks like an open-ended barrel, or clamshell that has two halves linked together by flexible DNA hinges and the entire structure is held shut by latches that are DNA double helixes.’

A complementary piece of DNA is attached to a payload, which enables it to bind to the inside of the biological barrel.

The double helixes stay closed until specific molecules or proteins on the surface of cancer cells act as a 'key' to open the ‘barrel’ so the payload can be deployed.

'The nanorobot is capable of recognising a small population of target cells within a large healthy population,’ Dr Bachelet continued.

‘While all cells share the same drug target that we want to attack, only those target cells that express the proper set of keys open the nanorobot and therefore only they will be attacked by the nanorobot and by the drug.’

The team has tested its technique in animals as well as cell cultures and said the ‘nanorobot attacked these [targets] with almost zero collateral damage.’

The method has many advantages over invasive surgery and blasts of drugs, which can be ‘as painful and damaging to the body as the disease itself,’ the team added.

In the future, Dr Bachelet said people could be injected with nanorobots at an annual doctor’s check-up (illustrated with a stock image). The nanorobots would screen ‘every cell’ in the body for cancerous or abnormal cells and destroy them before they spread

If Dr Bachelet's approach proves successful in humans, and is backed by more research in the coming years, the team’s work could signal a transformational moment in cancer treatment and could be used for many other diseases by delivering drugs more effectively without causing side effects.

HISTORY OF DNA TECHNOLOGY The field of DNA nanotechnology has been around for around 30 years. Pioneer Ned Seeman first came up with the idea of bending strands of DNA into shapes and since then 2D and 3D structures have been constructed. Dr Bachelet and his team have only been working on their innovation for three years but said the robots could be used to fix injured spinal cords in a couple of years’ time. Stronger drugs deemed too toxic using current techniques, could also be used to blitz cancer cells. 'This could revolutionise everything we know about drugs and medicine,’ he said. Advertisement

In the future, Dr Bachelet said people could even be injected with nanorobots at an annual doctor’s check-up.

The nanorobots would screen ‘every cell’ in the body for cancerous or abnormal cells and destroy them before they spread.

Currently, the technology can detect 12 types of tumour.

The field of DNA nanotechnology has been around for around 30 years, Singularity Hub reported.

Pioneer Ned Seeman first came up with the idea of bending strands of DNA into shapes and since then 2D and 3D structures have been constructed.

Dr Bachelet and his team have only been working on their innovation for three years, but said the robots could be used to fix injured spinal cords in a couple of years’ time.

Stronger drugs deemed too toxic using current techniques, could also be used to blitz cancer cells.