New Nanorobots are the Street Sweepers of the Circulatory System

A recent article from UC San Diego discussed a new development from the Jacobs School of Engineering that could help detoxify and decontaminate biological fluids. A team of engineers has developed an ultrasound-powered nanorobot that swims through blood and removes harmful bacteria and toxins.

The robots consist of gold nanowires coated with a hybrid of platelet and red blood cell membranes, which allows them to function as both types of cells. This means they can act as platelets by binding to pathogens like MRSA bacteria, and absorb and neutralize toxins produced by the bacteria like red blood cells do. A video with more information can be seen here.