14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University announce the development of self-assembling, nanoscale boxes that can be outfitted with drug molecules or smart particles, for a wide variety of applications.
The boxes can be used in medicine and manufacturing, among other fields. In medicine, chemotherapy drugs could be inserted into these containers, preventing them from being attacked by the immune system before reaching their destination.
One of the things that separates these nanoboxes from similar structures is the fact that they can self-assemble into very precise, three-dimensional shapes, whose dimensions can be controlled in tiny increments, officials at the US National Science Foundation (NSF) report.
“Much like nature assembles everything from sea shells to gem stones from the bottom up, the idea of self-assembly promises a new way to manufacture objects from the bottom up,” JHU chemical and biomolecular engineer, David Gracias, explains.