October 4, 2011 03:46 am EDT

Researchers say nanorockets could deliver medicine quickly within the blood

Faster delivery is always better when it comes to pizza, Thai food and now... drugs? Doctors seem to think so as they're experimenting with a new method of delivering medicine to the bloodstream via tiny nanotubes powered by rocket fuel. By storing healing meds within the platinum-coated metal tubes, doctors have been able to propel the tiny vessels up to 200 times their own length per second -- faster than swimming bacteria. It works as such: by introducing a hydrogen peroxide/water solution, the platinum reacts, sending it zipping forward and catalyzing the peroxide into water and oxygen. The downside? Even though the fuel is only .25 percent peroxide, it's still slightly toxic -- so it looks like it's back to the drawing board until they can develop a safer alternative. Spiders, perhaps? Check out the video demonstration after the break.

Continue reading Researchers say nanorockets could deliver medicine quickly within the blood

Researchers say nanorockets could deliver medicine quickly within the blood originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

PermalinkNew Scientist | Journal of the American Chemical Society ||Comments

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