Bacteria Provide Models for Nanobot Propulsion, Berlin Technical University Scientists Envision Nanobots Swimming in the Blood Stream to Deliver Drugs

Nature has had a few million years of experience. It is a “good idea” to use nature as a model," says  Holger Stark, a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Technical University of Berlin. He deals with a subject in nature, which other people often dread, intestinal bacteria and salmonella.

He examines how these microscopic organisms move around in their watery environment. The organisms can serve as a model for nanobots which could be built to make beneficial repairs to a   human  from within.

Nanobots with Bacteria Based Spiral Propellers as Envisioned by TU Berlin Scientists

 Image Credit: Technical University of Berlin   

 

A bacterium with its spiral threads which are driven by a few nanometers by a small rotary engine is a marvel of nature. Bacteria locomotion mechanisms are helping to understand how to build microscopic robots that could be sent, inter alia, on a trip through the blood vessels of the body"

Stark has a vision of the future in which  micro-machines could be targeted to make repairs in the cells and blood vessels or transporting drugs exactly where they are needed.

"Knowing how these bacteria move, as the viscous fluid environment affects their movement, opens up many opportunities to interact with the live bacteria themselves," says Reinhard Vogel, a research associate in the project. Benefit could, for example hygiene in the hospital. "

But because of their swimming motion bacteria accumulate on smooth surfaces to prevent this could reduce the risk of infections caused by catheters and prosthetic which can present the risk of infections. "

About the locomotion mechanisms of these microscopic swimmers, the researchers already know that there are in the cell wall of their cell bodies of these rotary motors that drive each spiral-shaped filaments or flagella.

"These combine into a rotating bundle and thus generate propulsion," said Vogel. "The controls are simple: One or the other thread from the bundle cares if they are reversing the direction of his engine. Thus it brings the whole bacterium to lurch and eventually provoked a change of direction."

In a new research project funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, with around $720,000 (500,000 euros), the scientists are investigating with colleagues from Forschungszentrum Jülich, not only the physics of these mechanisms, but they want to construct an elastic model of such a bacterial flagellum and its forward motion through the rotary engine.

 With computer simulations, which will also take into account the viscous aqueous environment, while, for example, investigated the influence of rotational speed and the stiffness of the bacterial flagellum to the advancement of the bacteria.. A bacterium needs to remain in motion to move forward. It stops its movements, it remains still immediately.  When an ocean liner, or even human swimmers for that matter is quite different. They slide continues after stopping the machine or after the cessation of swimming motion in the water yet. "This is due to the different Reynolds numbers, which explains describe the inertia of objects in liquid environments", graduate physicist Reinhard Vogel, who wants a PhD on this issue.

"Because bacteria have very small Reynolds numbers, fluid seems to them a lot tougher, the environment thus acts much more friction on her and she stops immediately if they stop the movement."

Further work is focus on so-called" lab-on-a-chip  chemistry that only takes place on a microchip, "explains Holger Stark. In the "chip laboratory" the smallest amounts of liquids are transported and mixed in order to carry out such a DNA analysis.  This is easily performed the task with a beaker and pipette, as difficult as it arises in the microscopic world dar. The rotating helical filaments may help in this task. The solutions of nature be a model for high technology.

For more information please contact:

Prof. Dr. Holger Stark Prof. Dr. Holger Stark
Technical University of Berlin
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences II
Institute for Theoretical Physics
Eugene P. Wigner-building
Hardenbergstr. 36
10623 Berlin
Tel: 030 / 314 - 29,623
E-mail inquiry
www.itp.tu-berlin.de/stark/ag_stark/homepage_ag_stark/ www.itp.tu-berlin.de/stark/ag_stark/homepage_ag_stark/

Dipl.-Phys. Reinhard Vogel  
Technical University of Berlin
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences II
Institute for Theoretical Physics
AG Statistical physics of soft matter and biological systems
Tel: 030 / 314-24253
E-mail inquiry