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| Nano dimension: graphene cells |
Nanotechnology is considered the next "miracle potion" specially if you add the bio term: nanobiotechnology. However, it only refers to the possibility of working at the molecular sclae (100 nanometers). New materials have been created and there are already a lot of promising nano methods that will help to diagnose and treat diseases faster and perhaps even better than before. But, like many other times, we are just re-discovering the wheel. Biological systems are inherently nano in scale. Actually, all living things, including humans, can be considered as nanofactories. Evolution has optimized these nanofactories over
millions of years and just now, in the 21st century, we are tapping into this nano-world.
Who are the experts on this field? The first ones on the ranking are not renowned scientsits but... pathogenic microorganisms. Viruses and bacteria use the most sophisticated nanotools to subvert the machineries of cells to survive. Prominent examples are the systems used by viruses to inject DNA into cells or the systems that bacteria employed to deploy proteins into cells, chiefly the so-called type III secretion systems (T3SS).
