Nanites Could be Attacked by Immune System

A dust mite is 200 micro meters and a red blood cell is 20 micro meters. We have an idea how tiny a dust mite is, but such a tiny parasite looks colossal next to a red blood cell. These cells are so tiny yet there are millions of them in our body. When we begin to examine viruses we are going even smaller and a microscopic red blood cell dwarfs smaller virus bodies like Rhinovirus or Ebola virus. Nanoengineers dream of building machines as small as this to go into bodies. This is called nanotechnology. Of course not all microscopic machines are designed to go into the body so nanotech science goes beyond biology and into a multitude of fields.

Our white blood cells attack any small foreign body like an intrusive virus; they are important among our body protective systems and are larger than red blood cells. Sometimes we contract a gem or virus and we will catch colds or flu. This makes us ill for a weak or a few days but these anti bodies get to work and relentlessly try to devour any type of intrusive foreign body that enters our blood stream. Under a microscope a white blood cell can be seen moving through the blood stream hunting bacteria that might be harmful. It moves as protoplasm, moving and pursuing around red blood cells, after a gem and then engulfing it.

Our Immune System also contains natural killer cells too. These are very aggressive soldier cells that flow among the red blood cells. When they come across dangerous cancerous cells they will attack the unwanted agent by attaching itself to the membrane wall and injecting a toxin. This causes the toxin infected cell membrane to breakdown structurally. The organic debris scatters and dilutes through the blood stream – being further cleansed by white cells mopping up. This activity is constant and our bodies are like vast machines constantly being maintained by these soldiers within our biological system.

With the onset of nanotechnology, biologist and nanoengineers want to look at ways of introducing microscopic nanites into a human body to attack cancer cells and other viruses the same way as our immune system’s warrior cells do. With nanotechnology scientists believe they will one day have better and more focused abilities when cancer develops beyond the capability of our natural immune system. Very often our immune systems break down or are unable to cope with some diseases or infections that become too strong.

One of the main obstacles for nanoengineers and biologists is to convince the immune system that the migrating nanites are part of the immune system too. Otherwise the microscopic machines will be attacked by natural killer cells and sprayed by a toxic bursts when the natural immune system decides these nanites are bacteria or cancerous too. The white blood cells might engulf the micro machines too, deciding they are unwanted bacteria. All of these complications must be overcome by nanoengineers, searching ways of tricking or convincing the immune system that the migrating nanites are natural parts of the body immune system too.

With the achievement of such micro programing, the pathway to all sorts of cures may be possible. Cancer and tumours could be accessed in the body without the use of hit and miss chemotherapy and the often discomforting side effects.

The technical expertise of building such complex microscopic machines, the size of a virus is mind boggling, but the technology is here and is being modified and upgraded constantly. It will be soon when nanites can travel about the body in harmony with white blood cells and the aggressive natural killer cells. The nanites will have an ability to target a harmful cell or bacterial virus with new innovations designed by biologists. Perhaps a protein that cancer cells find fatal.