Molecular Shuttles
7 October 2007, 16:34
Categories: bionanotech--nanobiotech molecular-machines--devices
Using biological motors to transport and precisely distribute cargo requires a clear understanding of how molecular shuttles pick up and deliver specific payload. However, scientists are challenged by the need to better control the interactions along the route so that the cargo remains on the line when not needed, but when it is needed, can be picked up and transported to a specific location. Researchers in Switzerland have now built nanoscale cargo loading stations and shuttles, an important step towards assembly lines for nanotechnology.
“Imagine you could build machines by assembling single molecules, and use these machines as tools to create complex materials, repair tiny defects on surfaces or in living cells, or to store and retrieve information,” says Dr. Viola Vogel, Professor in the Department of Materials heading the Laboratory for Biologically Oriented Materials at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich, Switzerland. “These nanoscale machines would be totally different from machines like trains, cranes or presses in their appearance, but they would have to perform related functions like transporting things or changing their shape. We are attempting to build a nanoscale train system, complete with tracks, loading docks and a control system.”
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