Nanobots in the Brain
New Way to Fight Drug Addiction
By NESITA KWAN
Updated 4:45 PM EST, Tue, Mar 24, 2009
The cure is wilder than any drug induced dream. Imagine an army of tiny nanobots swarming into the brain to conquer the worst kinds of drug addictions.
The dream may soon become reality thanks to researchers at the University of Buffalo. They invented microscopic rods of gold which can deliver a knock out blow to the abnormal gene in the brain which often causes addiction.
"When you silence this gene, the physical craving for the drug should be reduced," said researcher Adela Boniou, Ph.D.
The nanoparticles, as they're called, carry a tiny snip of genetic material called RNA to the addiction gene, and turn it off. It's the first time scientests have discovered a way to safety attack the gene with RNA.
So far the research has been limited to the laboratory. But the hope is that the nanoparticles eventually will be turned into a powerful medication for all types of addictive behaviors. The study is in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
First Published: Mar 24, 2009 1:42 PM EST
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