Nanomachines and nanorobotics: improving cancer diagnosis and therapy

Nanomachines are nanoscale mechanical devices able to transform energy into precise mechanical motion in response to specific molecular inputs. Nowadays, the development of nanodevices able to detect and determine disease biomarkers or to fight against malignancies through the accurate delivery and release of drugs directly to the desired tissue is a booming topic with great potential and exciting future. In this chapter, the modification of nanomachines and the use of nanorobotics for these purposes will be discussed along with challenges to face. Nanodevices design, fabrication, and propulsion methods will be addressed followed by prospective applications to cancer diagnosis and imaging, drug delivery, theragnostic, and nanosurgery. Nanomachines modification with proteins, antibodies, or aptamers combined with pH-responsive elements for cancer diagnosis and therapy, their potential to specifically capture protein biomarkers and DNA from complex biological samples, and application of mesoporous silica nanoparticles and metal-organic frameworks-based nanomachines will be considered.