Smart Nanotubes

By combining a natural component of a cell and a synthetic version of another component, scientists have created a tiny structure that one day might be used for super-precise drug delivery.

The structure has been dubbed the "smart nano-tube" by its creators at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Researchers can open and close either end of the tube by changing the tube's electrical charge.

The tube is constructed in two layers. The outer layer is made up of soap-bubble-like lipids - like most of our cells - which allow the tube to pass through our body unharmed. The inner layer is a hollow tube which provides structural stability and facilitates internal transport for the nano-tube.

In theory, the tube could be packed with drugs and travel all over the body, only releasing the drugs when it reaches its intended destination. This method would prevent the drugs from affecting parts of the body that don't need the drug, and would provide the strongest possible dose to those that do.

This work was detailed in the Aug. 9 issue of the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.