More on nanoparticles

See that photo? It may represent the future of cancer treatment. What you see are nanoparticles both within and entering a cancerous tumour cell carrying a dangerous payload. The particles deliver RNA interfering material that essentially attacks genetic material in malignant cells and kills them. This treatment is delivered through the bloodstream and the nanoparticles seek out the cancerous cells. According to to an article from Gizmodo:

"The 70-nanometer attack bots—made with two polymers and a protein that attaches to the cancerous cell's surface—carry a piece of RNA called small-interfering RNA (siRNA), which deactivates the production of a protein, starving the malign cell to death. Once it has delivered its lethal blow, the nanoparticle breaks down into tiny pieces that get eliminated by the body in the urine. The most amazing thing is that you can send as many of these soldiers as you want, and they will keep attaching to the bad guys, killing them left, right, and center, and stopping tumors. According to Davis, "the more [they] put in, the more ends up where they are supposed to be, in tumour cells." While they will have to finish the trials to make sure that there are no side-effects whatsoever, the team is very happy with the successful results and it's excited about what's coming."

This therapy has the potential to rid the body of cancer without the devastating side effects of chemo and other treatments. You can read more about the subject here.


Ah yes, the pop culture moment. I've been rediscovering Joy Division, and came across a video of a band called Steel Harmony doing a cover of their song, Transmission. The cool part? The cover band is a Caribbean steel drum band. Enjoy.