Nanoparticles can be used to deliver drugs directly to problem areas within the human body. One way of doing this is by covering a magnetic nanoparticle with a layer of the drug and then guiding the particle directly to the spot by an external magnetic field. In another method, the particle contains the drug in an internal reservoir, and is coated with biomolecules having a specific chemical attraction to other molecules in the problem area. The laden particle then simply diffuses around in the body until it happens to encounter (we hope) what it's looking for. Ideally – and this is the nanotechnologist's dream – the particle should act like an in vivo wild boar responding to a buried truffle – the particle would have a long range sense of where its goal is located. This has yet to be perfected. An even more sophisticated approach is for the particle to be self-propelling. Nature has provided a wonderful molecular motor for this purpose: the bacterial flagellum. A possible problem with all of these therapies is, however, where do the particles go when the load has been delivered?
Our contestants from the Super Para Regiment have been stuck in the maze for over 10 minutes now and it's anyone's race! Coming round at some speed is Drag Star Derek ridden by Anthony In Flames – he seems to be receiving some divine intervention and is now heading off in the right direction! Sticky Tone is spinning in circles, but wait, something else has distracted him... oh my what is he doing? And he's off again let's hope he can catch up! Drag Star Derek has come round the corner and knocked Sticky Tone clean off course, oh dear, oh dear... here comes Maggie Tighten-up, trained in the lab she's looking confident, speeding onwards she's overtaking Drag Star who seems to have stopped for a break and is waiting instruction. Maggie is gaining momentum and looking unbeatable with Drag Star still losing power and Sticky facing the wrong way! Hang on though, what's this? Oh my word Maggie has teamed up with Sticky and the pair of them are off, will they be double trouble champions or duo tone losers? Well, it's looking like a clear win for Maggie and her new mate if they can just focus on the finish line for long enough... but here's an outsider coming down the straight! It's late entrant T4 riding Eco Lies and they are absolutely flying along at an amazing speed! And it looks like they know exactly where they are going... it's all over, Eco Lies has stormed the race.
1st Eco Lies
2nd Maggie Tighten-up & Sticky Tone
3rd Drag Star Derek