In a major advance for the
nascent field of RNA
nanotechnology, nanoparticles composed solely
of chemically modified RNA were assembled, found to survive circulation in the bloodstream, be non-toxic and non-immunogenic, internalize into cancer cells specifically, and silence expression
of cancer - promoting genes.
While scientists working in the
nascent field of environmental
nanotechnology have already demonstrated its benefits in cleaning up pollutants and monitoring and preventing their spread, others, more concerned about the long - term effects related to exposure and chemical reactivity, have called for studies into ecotoxicology.