Carbon nanotubes are microscopic molecules whose thickness is of the order of nanometers (nanometer - billionth of a meter), made of carbon atoms organized in a hollow tube-like structure. Now, it has been discovered that these tubes can be used to "explode" cancer cells in a localized manner
Yoram Ored, Galileo
Under the right conditions, carbon nanotubes act like tiny bombs. These bombs may be used for medical purposes
What hasn't been said yet about the possible uses of carbon nanotubes? Carbon nanotubes are microscopic molecules whose thickness is of the order of nanometers (nanometer - billionth of a meter), made of carbon atoms organized in a hollow tube-like structure. One of the often discussed uses for these molecules is to create an extremely strong cable, much stronger than steel, which may be used, among other things, to build a cable for the space elevator. Now a new possible use for them is being discovered, this time in medicine.
Balaji Panchapakesan (Panchapakesan), a researcher at the University of Delaware, United States, heads the team that is currently developing a method to destroy cancerous tumors through the explosion of carbon tubes. Pankapaksan and his team discovered that when a bundle of carbon tubes is exposed to light, it heats up and subsequently explodes. This does not happen in a single carbon tube, because the heat generated when the light hits it is dispersed into the surrounding air. In a bundle of carbon tubes, on the other hand, the heat generated due to exposure to light cannot dissipate into the air quickly, and the bundle explodes due to the heat generated within it. In this way, a kind of nano-bomb is obtained, which can kill cancer cells.
The discovery that carbon nanotubes explode when light is projected onto them came to light during experiments conducted by Pancapaxan and his team for a different purpose - to test the possibility of using carbon nanotubes as a tool to transfer drugs into a biological cell. Carbon nanotubes are smaller than the size of a single cell, so such an operation is possible.
Pancapaxan believes that the use of carbon nanotubes to create nanobombs has a promising future as a tool to cure various cancerous tumors, especially breast cancer. The advantages of these nano-bombs are in the power of their explosion, which destroys the cancer cells; in their selectivity (since they will be penetrated exclusively into cancer cells); in the fact that they do not require invasive intervention; as well as being non-toxic. It will also be possible to use them in combination with other technologies, such as microsurgery (operations performed under a microscope using tiny instruments). It is possible that nanobombs will also enable the treatment of cancerous tumors in areas that have so far been considered inoperable, such as arteries and veins.
Pankapaksan's vision is that in the future the public will be equipped with home kits capable of detecting cancer. If they are diagnosed with cancer using these kits, the people will be able to go to the clinic after their work hours, receive treatment using microscopic bombs based on carbon nanotubes, and go home.
In the future, will nanobombs based on carbon nanotubes turn all types of cancer into a disease that can be easily cured?
An expert dealing with the uses of nanotechnology in medicine
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