At present, scientists are trying to assemble an extremely tiny device on the molecular scale, which has broad application prospects in medicine. Carry the news to the end. In mid-August, it was the season when Bashu was still suffering from intense heat and heavy rain. Dr Qiu Xiaoqing is still working hard in his laboratory and has successfully completed the idea of "protein molecular machines". As the director of the Biofilm and Membrane Protein Laboratory of West China Clinical Medical College of Sichuan University, he confidently told reporters that protein needs to be processed and transformed into nano-scale molecular machines to meet human needs, which is the most imaginative and creative part of the grand blueprint of human conquest of nature. So "molecular machines", also called "molecular robots", what kind of machinery are they, what kind of structure are they, and what parts are they made of? -molecular machines's interpretation-There are molecular robots everywhere in nature. The statement that "molecular robots are not uncommon in nature" is correct. Take our human body for example, because of the progress of molecular biology, we find that the human body is a combination of tiny precision machinery. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) records the replication of genetic information and the synthesis of protein. Muscle relaxation, information transmission of neural network, etc. In all human life activities, if we look at it from the molecular level, we can see tiny precision machinery in operation. The surprising thing about molecular robots in nature is that they are completely self-assembled. As long as the materials and environmental conditions are available, molecular robots can be easily self-assembled. At present, the technology mastered by human beings can move atoms one by one on the surface of matter, but the ability to make molecular robots by using this technology is not as good as that of others. The manufacture of "molecular robots" is by no means easy. The original idea of making molecular robots can be traced back to 1950. Richard feynman (1918-1988), a famous American physicist, proposed for the first time that microcomputers could perform various operations in the future. Feynman didn't put forward the specific concept of molecular robot, but since then, making molecular robots has become a dream of mankind. However, the development process of science and technology is not easy. In any case, the object of scientists' research-molecules-is only 1 nanometer, so it is difficult to assemble things of this scale. Scientists must assemble machines that can run automatically for the purpose of operation and homework. The shortcut to artificially manufacture molecular robots is still to imitate molecular robots in organisms. However, as mentioned above, biological "molecular robots are automatically assembled", and the mechanism scientists have not fully understood it, and they may go astray in the development process. -The latest research progress-Using DNA technology to combine genes to form a molecular machine, Professor Qiu Xiaoqing said that as long as you have enough imagination, it is almost possible for anyone to make an "artificial multi-domain protein machine". The current biotechnology methods can not only modify the structure and function, but also transform a large number of protein existing in nature. By introducing some specific changes to modify some specific protein, multifunctional protein molecules can be formed. At present, the most commonly used method is to combine genes expressing different polypeptides or protein domains through DNA recombination technology to form a fusion protein with all gene functions. As long as the functional domains in the fusion protein do not interfere with each other in the process of folding to form the active structure, protein may show the biological function that we hope it will have when designing. Several fusion proteins have been constructed. In order to realize the dream of constructing multi-domain protein molecular machines, Qiu Xiaoqing and others first tried to construct a fusion protein composed of two protein fragments. By controlling the molecular structure of the fusion protein, the fusion protein can produce the expected targeted attack ability and can selectively attack a certain cell. After realizing the attack on prokaryotic cells, Qiu Xiaoqing began to dream about whether to construct effective active substances that "target" eukaryotic cells. After 10 years of research, Professor Qiu Xiaoqing and his research group constructed several fusion proteins (antimicrobial peptides and immunotoxins) based on several bacterial pheromones and antibody-simulated seedless Escherichia coli. They all specifically attack selected target bacteria or target cells, and their killing efficiency is much higher than that of existing antibiotics and immunotoxins, but their side effects are far lower than those of existing antibiotics and immunotoxins. They may develop into a series of new antibacterial and antitumor drugs. Important application prospect: drugs can be delivered to the affected parts in a centralized way. At present, the types of molecular robots are limited, but we can consider how to use them in the future. Considering that molecular robots can be automatically generated in organisms, it seems that their initial application should be centered on the medical field. For example, molecular robots for viruses may be realized by developing molecular tweezers. The front part of molecular tweezers is treated so that it can only bind to specific viruses. In addition, molecular robots such as molecular tweezers can be used to deliver drugs and the like to cancer sites in a centralized manner. Qiu Xiaoqing believes that with the rapid progress of biotechnology, this biotechnology drug may soon replace the existing drugs and create better welfare for mankind. However, these constructed fusion proteins are far from expressing the ideal level of structure and function-the ideal state that an artificial multi-domain "protein machine" should have. At best, they can only be regarded as a prototype of molecular machines in protein. At present, scientists are trying to assemble such an important machine on the molecular scale to make an extremely tiny device. Scientists intend to use this device to manipulate other molecules, which can be used in medicine to remove viruses and cancer cells deep in the body. They have unlimited application prospects. What exactly is a molecular robot? The meaning of the word "robot" can be found in the dictionary. Some dictionaries refer to robots as "machines or devices that can run automatically for the purpose of operation and work", and so on, and are not limited to the so-called "humanoid robots". Broadly speaking, a machine that can automatically perform various operations can be called a robot. The so-called "molecular robot" is of course a robot made on the molecular scale. Generally speaking, the length of a molecular-sized robot is only about 1 nm, and 1 nm is one billionth of 1 m, that is, its size is one thousandth of 1 mm, and the size of atoms is about 0. 1 nm. Molecular robots are of course composed of dozens or hundreds of atoms. It would be very satisfying for scientists if they could manipulate or process other molecules at will with such a tiny molecular size machine. For example, scientists may make molecular robots to fight viruses that seriously threaten human health. Scientists can send this molecular robot into the human body to remove the molecules that make up the virus, or remove the virus, or destroy the virus. Perhaps it has nothing to do with "humanoid", but the impression that molecular robots give us is well deserved. The "legs and feet" created by scientists are made of DNA. According to the Russian "Ties" website, a research team from Oxford University in the UK has created a molecular-level ultramicro robot. Its "hands and feet" are composed of DNA filaments and have the ability to act independently. Biologists have long discovered that molecules can move along some internal structures of cells. Scientists try to make similar molecular transport structures by artificial methods, but no one has ever made artificial products with similar molecular functions in the natural state before. Researchers at Oxford University point out that the performance of their latest "molecular machines" exceeds that of previous products in many aspects. It is reported that this molecular robot consists of two interconnected "legs", and these two "legs" are composed of DNA fragments. The two legs of a molecular robot can be attached to a specific DNA sequence and move slowly along it. The motion energy of this subminiature robot comes from some special molecules, which are not affected by the surrounding body fluids. It is reported that when the robot's "legs" touch the DNA surface, it can help the robot get energy supplement from those special molecules. However, this kind of molecular robot still has some defects: its "legs" may get out of control when moving, thus preventing it from moving further. At present, researchers are trying to overcome this defect. Scientists hope that in the future, similar and more perfect robots can undertake the task of transporting materials in micro-factories and workshops.