Nanobombas

No temáis. No es que George W. Bush haya cambiado de escala en su sistema de guerra preventiva global, y se dedique a miniaturizar la "guerra de las galaxias", no, hablamos de uno de los posibles avances de la biomedicina, o mejor dicho, de la ingeniería médica
El científico de la universidad de Delaware, Balaji Panchapakesan, está desarrollando lo que ha denominado "nanobombas".

«We report the first application of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) as potent therapeutic nanobomb agents for killing breast cancer cells. We show here that by adsorbing water molecules in SWCNT sheets or loosely adsorbed on top of cells, potent nanobombs were created that heated the water molecules inside them to more than 100°C upon exposure to laser light of 800 nm at light intensities of approx 50–200 mW/cm2. Conversion of optical energy into thermal energy, and the subsequent confinement of thermal energy in SWCNT, caused the water molecules to evaporate and develop extreme pressures in SWCNT causing them to explode in solutions. Co-localized nanobombs killed human BT474 breast cancer cells in physiological phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution. Cells that were treated with nanobombs exploded into fragments, while the surrounding cells not treated with nanobombs were viable. SWCNT-based nanobomb agents can potentially outperform most nanotechnological approaches in killing cancer cells without toxicity.»

Grupos de nanotubos que al ser expuestos a una determinada cantidad de luz, explotan, o mejor dicho nano-explotan. Colocados y explosionados en la superficie de células cancerosas, las matan sin afectar a las células circundantes. Aunque el método todavía es muy preliminar, promete.

Ver:

¬ Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Nanobomb Agents for Killing Breast Cancer Cells (NanoBiotechnology)
¬ An Explosive Treatment for Cancer
¬ Nanotechnology, Part 2: Tiny Technology—Tremendous Therapeutic Potential (PDF)
¬ Nanotube Nanobomb Kills Breast Cancer Cells
¬ Prof develops cancer nanobomb