[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6116\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ENanowires help scientists manipulate molecules\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at the EU-funded MANAQA project in Switzerland are developing a system that can pick apart proteins, which are just a couple of nanometres in size.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile normal microscopes can be used to look at cells, proteins or molecules require tools like atomic force microscopes, which scan objects using a small probe called a cantilever.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe probe is dragged or tapped across an object line by line, almost like the needle on a record player. This data is then sent to a computer which can convert it into an image.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe MANAQA researchers have combined an atomic force microscope with a nanowire that allows scientists to manipulate molecules.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018You can pull the nanowire magnetically to unfold the protein and the atomic force microscope cantilever will sense that,\u2019 said Dr Salvador Pan\u00e9 who is coordinating the collaborative EU effort at the university ETH Zurich. \u2018The advantage of that is with a nanowire you can, for example, pull objects, and depending on how you build it you can also apply torque.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis team had to first design a nanowire that would work where protein samples thrive, mirroring the conditions of fluids in the body. \u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018We can produce many nanostructures ... we know how to manipulate them. Now the further step is making them useful.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Salvador Pan\u00e9, ETH Zurich\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018A system in which a protein exists is usually a very salty system, and an environment which has a lot of salt or electrolytes is a potential corrosion problem,\u2019 said Dr Pan\u00e9.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo far, researchers have found that using a nickel or\u0026nbsp;cobalt-nickel alloy produces the best results. Those materials let the nanowire keep its magnetic properties but also hold up to briny conditions without deteriorating.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EScientists also needed to develop a computer model to predict how changing the magnetic field on the nanowire would alter its movement in a fluid, compensating for forces like drag.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile there are competing methods that can be used to trap nanoparticles, many have drawbacks. Trapping molecules with lasers, for instance, can end up overheating the material being tested. Using nanowires avoids that.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team hopes by August this year to have demonstrated that the concept can allow proteins to be twisted and moved with greater range than ever before. That could eventually improve drug research, where one could unfold proteins in the presence of different substances to see where they reacted better.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I think now we are at the point in nanotechnology where we can produce many nanostructures, we know how to make them function, we know how to manipulate them. Now the further step is making them useful,\u2019 Dr Pan\u00e9 said.\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EFolding DNA\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EManipulated molecules are also being used inside the body to treat disease. Scientists working on the EU-funded MRECB and DNA NANO-ROUTERS projects are folding strands of DNA to make so-called nanorobots that can be used to deliver drugs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe advantage of DNA is that it can be folded into various shapes, a bit like making origami. A team at Israel\u2019s Bar-Ilan University led by Dr Ido Bachelet and funded by the European Research Council is working on nanorobots that can be programmed to detect certain conditions, like a tumour, and then deliver drugs to treat the affected cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETaking that a step further, researchers on MRECB are trying to get the robots to behave as an intelligent swarm, for example linking together at the right point to help tissues regrow. The robots could even be used to alter the communication network between cells in the body by picking up and delivering signal molecules. That could stop cells from over-transmitting certain signals, such as an immune response.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-iqs0v1gvhnj53xqbpsvyefkckdkgo5bdovxzkfy8aua\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-IQS0v1gvhNJ53xqBpsvYeFkCkDkGO5BdOvxZKFy8auA\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]