PlasmidGate? PART TWO
Ido Bachelet and his team have made a new type of brain-machine interface enabling a human operator to control nanometer-size robots inside a living animal by brain activity.
To establish a direct control interface to DNA robots, they designed robots that can be electronically remote-controlled. This was done by adding metal nanoparticles to the robotic gates, which could heat in response to an electromagnetic field.
https://web.archive.org/web/20141228094933/https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Harvard's engineered nanobot:
Starts with "DNA Oragami" (as described in lecture "Bleeding Edge I: Nanomechanics"):
- An "off-the-shelf" master single strand of DNA is chosen
- A design is developed that lays out its 7308 nucleotide units something like this:
"Staple" single DNA strands are then designed (196 different staples!)
With bases complementing the master strand where the staples should attach
Design was facilitated by CADNANO program co-developed by this team (www.cadnano.org)
Reference: "A logic-gated nanobot for targeted transport of molecular payloads, Shawn M. Douglas et al., Science 335, pp. 831-4 (2012)
And it is then assembled:
By simply mixing the ~ 200 different DNA single strands together
And then slowly cooling, allowing complementary bases to bind together:
Leading to a full structure that looks like this:
Gray = long master single DNA strand
Orange + blue = Short DNA "staples" locking in master strand's 3D shape
Yellow = Staples with ends hanging out, attaching to purple "cargo"
Plus short DNA extensions at far-left / upper-right
Short DNA extensions serve as LOCKS to fold structure together
Twisted locks work because they consist of a pair of complementary single DNA strands
HOWEVER!
In each of THESE two locks, ONE of the DNA strands is very specially selected
So that, when unwound and disconnected, it curls into a complex shape
That can fit tightly around (and thus latch onto) a specific foreign molecule
THESE DNA strands were chosen to latch onto protein antigens
That are released by or embedded in the cell membranes of CANCER cells
These antigen-binding single DNA strands are know as aptamers
If the antigen that a lock's amptamer targets is encountered:
That aptamer/DNA strand will untwist and instead latch onto the antigen:
And this "lock" opens
If the antigens for BOTH locks are present, BOTH locks unlock, and shell springs open!
Exposing the antigen-releasing
cell to the nanobot's deadly cargo
It even works if antigen spacing on target cell does not match separation of the two locks:
1st lock springs, then nanobot wiggles around cell surface until 2nd lock springs*
Nanobot must be programmable
An effective nanobot guarantees replication
Nanobot Communication
Communication via photons (light, radio . . . )?
Nano things certainly CAN emit and absorb photons
Nanobots must self-replicate
Nanobots must be able to communicate
Nanobots must be programmable
Nanobots must be able to see
Nanobots must be able to control their motion
Nanorobots in Medicine
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-13517-3 DNA origami cryptography for secure communication | Nature Communications
Abstract
Biomolecular cryptography exploiting specific biomolecular interactions for data encryption represents a unique approach for information security. However, constructing protocols based on biomolecular reactions to guarantee confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA) of information remains a challenge.
Here we develop DNA origami cryptography (DOC) that exploits folding of a M13 viral scaffold into nanometer-scale self-assembled braille-like patterns for secure communication, which can create a key with a size of over 700 bits.
The intrinsic nanoscale addressability of DNA origami additionally allows for protein binding-based steganography, which further protects message confidentiality in DOC. The integrity of a transmitted message can be ensured by establishing specific linkages between several DNA origamis carrying parts of the message. The versatility of DOC is further demonstrated by transmitting various data formats including text, musical notes and images, supporting its great potential for meeting the rapidly increasing CIA demands of next-generation cryptography.
Results DOC (DNA origami cryptography) for message confidentiality. The workflow of confidential communication between the sender and receiver—Alice and Bob—with DOC is displayed in Fig. 1a. The whole process is composed of three layers—encryption of the message into a dot pattern as the outer layer, followed by a steganographic intermediate layer, and finally DNA origami encryption (DOE) as the innermost layer, represented by three nested channels colored in gray, green and pale green, respectively.
Discussion
Our work demonstrates a cryptography method that introduces DNA origami to provide multi-level protection of messages for secure communication.
QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/dna-nanobots-can-replicate-themselves
“By making use of externally controlled temperature and ultraviolet (UV) light, our programmable robot, ~100 nanometers in size, grabs different parts, positions and aligns them so that they can be welded, releases the construct, and returns to its original configuration ready for its next operation,” the team explains in their study published in Science Robotics. “Our robot can also self-replicate its 3D structure and functions, surpassing single-step templating (restricted to two dimensions) by using folding to access the third dimension and more degrees of freedom,” they add.
Which One Would You Fly: UH-60 Black Hawk, V-22 Osprey, or the Futuristic V-280 Valor
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So what’s the big deal? Well, nanobots like these have the potential to manufacture drugs, enzymes, and other chemicals inside the cells of the body. The researchers emphasized that these machines can self-replicate their entire 3D structure and functions.
Andrew Surman, a researcher at King’s College London who was not involved in the study, believes that nanobots represent a significant advancement in developing DNA-based machines capable of manufacturing drugs or chemicals and serving as basic robots or computers. Prior research has been limited to 2D shapes that had to be folded into 3D shapes, which carried the risk of error. However, the new research enables the creation of 3D structures from scratch.
But, it is important to note that the DNA bots are not entirely self-contained. The robots act in response to externally controlled temperature and UV light. UV light is required to weld the pieces of DNA they assemble. “Our introduction of multiple-axis precise folding and positioning as a tool/technology for nanomanufacturing will open the door to more complex and useful nano- and microdevices,” the team explains in their paper.
“Gray Goo Scenario”
It is all very exciting, but some raise concerns about such technology if developed unchecked and without limits. This is something called the “Gray Goo Scenario,” which posits that self-replicating nanobots, without built-in shut-offs or limitations, could produce exponentially, turning organic matter into a countless legion of nanobots. Thankfully, this is unlikely with these DNA nanobots as they cannot reproduce themselves or anything else without having sufficient supplies of precise DNA fragments and UV light.
You can read the study for yourself in the journal Science Robotics.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202406470 Subtraction‐based DNA Origami Cryptography by using Structural Defects for Information Encryption - Jiang - Small - Wiley Online Library
Specifically, DNA origami has been repurposed for cryptography, using programmable folding of the long scaffold strand carrying additional tagged strands for information encryption.
Herein, a subtraction-based cryptographic strategy is presented that uses structural defects on DNA origami to contain encrypted information. Designated staple strands are removed from the staple pool with “hook” strands to create active defect sites on DNA origami for information encryption.
https://www.thepourquoipas.com/post/apple-nanobot-healthcare-system-revolution-in-medicine
One of the key benefits of this new technology is its ability to provide doctors with detailed information on a patient’s health, including their genetic makeup and specific medical conditions. This will allow doctors to provide more personalized medical care, as they will be able to tailor treatments to a patient’s unique needs. Additionally, the system will be able to provide doctors with real-time data on a patient’s health, which will allow them to quickly respond to any changes in their condition.
The system will also be able to provide patients with more detailed information on their health, including their risk of developing certain diseases. This will allow patients to take a more active role in their own healthcare and make more informed decisions about their health.
However, one potential downside of the technology is the cost. The nanobot-based healthcare system is expected to be significantly more expensive than traditional medical treatments. Additionally, there are concerns about the long-term safety and efficacy of the technology, as well as the potential for abuse.
“The potential benefits of this new technology are undeniable, but it is important to consider the potential risks and downsides,” said Dr. Mark Johnson, a leading bioethicist. “We need to carefully evaluate the safety and efficacy of this technology, as well as the potential for abuse, before we fully embrace it.”
In comparison to other technologies on the market, such as CRISPR, the Apple’s new nanobot-based healthcare system offers a more advanced and precise medical treatment. With the ability to detect and target specific cells, the system can provide more accurate and personalized medical care. Additionally, the system offers real-time data on a patient’s health, which will allow doctors to quickly respond to any changes in their condition.
Overall, the Apple’s new nanobot-based healthcare system is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to change the way we approach healthcare. With the ability to detect and treat diseases at an early stage and provide personalized medical care, this system offers a major step forward in our ability to improve patient outcomes. But, It’s yet to be seen how it will perform in the long run, and what would be the effect on human body, while also addressing privacy concerns.
https://neilsahota.com/nanobots-ais-tiny-allies/
Biodegradability Concerns
Biodegradability is a significant hurdle, especially in medical applications where the presence of foreign particles raises concerns. The challenge is to design nanobots that can perform their tasks effectively and then safely dissolve, allowing the body to absorb and excrete them.
https://nanotechbots.blogspot.com/p/structure-of-nanobots.html
https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/09/thought-controlled-nanoscale-dna-robots-2.html
There are three emerging technologies that will interact to enable precise release of medication based on conditions in the brain.
1. DNA nanobots with metal nanoparticles (this already can release drugs in living things based on EEG monitored conditions)
2. Neural dust for ultra-precise sensor readings
3. Deep learning for identifying patterns in sensors
DNA nanobots
Ido Bachelet and his team have made a new type of brain-machine interface enabling a human operator to control nanometer-size robots inside a living animal by brain activity. Recorded EEG patterns are recognized online by an algorithm, which in turn controls the state of an electromagnetic field. The field induces the local heating of billions of mechanically-actuating DNA origami robots tethered to metal nanoparticles, leading to their reversible activation and subsequent exposure of a bioactive payload. As a proof of principle we demonstrate activation of DNA robots to cause a cellular effect inside the insect Blaberus discoidalis, by a cognitively straining task. This technology enables the online switching of a bioactive molecule on and off in response to a subject’s cognitive state, with potential implications to therapeutic control in disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and attention deficits, which are among the most challenging conditions to diagnose and treat.
Ido Bachelet had previously made 50 nanometer DNA buckets that would open when it encountered certain chemicals or biology.
To establish a direct control interface to DNA robots, they designed robots that can be electronically remote-controlled. This was done by adding metal nanoparticles to the robotic gates, which could heat in response to an electromagnetic field. This concept has been demonstrated previously, and has been recently implemented in controlling gene expression in an animal model of diabetes.
In the paper they integrate all components to allow EEG patterns associated with cognitive states to remotely trigger nanorobot activation in a living animal, and describe the design, construction, and implementation of this brain-nanomachine interface. Our working prototype highlights the potential of such a technology in managing disorders to which no effective treatment exists, and could inspire advanced modes of control over biological molecules in the body even outside therapeutic contexts.
The full experimental setup consisted of five components:
a) a headset used for collecting EEG data from the subject;
b) an algorithm that searches for patterns associated with cognitive load and rest states, running on a computer;
c) a waveform generator, remote controlled by the computer, which produces high-frequency alternate current through the coil; d) the coil itself; and
e) the DNA origami robots, injected into the living animal fitted within the coil.
Data collection was carried out separately from this setup, and included only the headset connected to a compute
They built nanorobots out of DNA, forming shell-like shapes that drugs can be tethered to. Because the drug remains tethered to the DNA parcel, a body’s exposure to the drug can be controlled by closing and opening the gate.
DNA bots to respond to a person’s thoughts. They trained a computer algorithm to identify between a person’s brain activity when resting and when doing mental arithmetic.
They attached a fluorescent drug to the bots and injected them into a cockroach sat inside an electromagnetic coil. A person wearing an EEG cap that measures brain activity was then instructed either to do mental calculations, or rest. The cap was connected to the electromagnetic coil, switching it on when the man was calculating and off when he was resting.
BCI (Brain computer interface) technology is becoming more widespread and accessible, so are heart monitoring applications for mobile devices, and in the future even parameters such as blood glucose.
The present study is merely a demonstration and proof of concept for integrating physiological output with molecular control. And here is also the value of this work–in our hope that it will highlight the possibility for such new therapeutic strategies, and encourage building on such drafts in order to achieve optimal designs.
Albeit a very preliminary prototype, this system could inspire improved designs towards thought-mediated control over biochemical and physiological functions assisted by biocompatible molecular machines.
To establish a direct control interface to DNA robots, we designed robots that can be electronically remote-controlled. This was done by adding metal nanoparticles to the robotic gates, which could heat in response to an electromagnetic field. This concept has been demonstrated previously[13], and has been recently implemented in controlling gene expression in an animal model of diabetes[14]. In this paper we integrate all these components to allow EEG patterns associated with cognitive states to remotely trigger nanorobot activation in a living animal, and describe the design, construction, and implementation of this brain-nanomachine interface
Providing the nanorobots with the ability to respond to electromagnetic fields enables autonomous sensing of biomolecules and possibly computational abilities [3, 14]. A crucial advantage of these robots is that they integrate a solid shell, fabricated from DNA origami, with gates made of complementary DNA strands. The shell can be reversibly closed or opened by controlling gate strand hybridization, using strand displacement, aptamer binding, etc.
This is diabolical shit
OMG!!!!! Who can even read this....pleeeeeeeezzzzeee...let me just be a human. Remember, that old thing that just had the 23 pairs of chromosomes...that highly flawed, yet mischievously ingenious old earth creature...I want myself back....pppllllleeeeeeezzzeee....gasp....gasp....