RESPIROCYTES

S.K.Aparna
Department of Biotechnology
I Year/I Semester
SNIST
aparna.sk4@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
The artificial red blood cell or "respirocyte" proposed here is a blood borne spherical 1-micron diamondoid
1000-atm pressure vessel with active pumping powered by endogenous serum glucose, able to deliver 236
times more oxygen to the tissues per unit volume than natural red cells and to manage carbonic acidity. An
onboard nanocomputer and numerous chemical and pressure sensors enable complex device behaviors
remotely reprogrammable by the physician via externally applied acoustic signals. Primary applications will
include transfusable blood substitution; partial treatment for anemia, perinatal/neonatal and lung disorders;
enhancement of cardiovascular/neurovascular procedures, tumor therapies and diagnostics; prevention of
asphyxia; artificial breathing; and a variety of sports, veterinary, battlefield and other uses.
Key Words: Respirocyte, Artificial red blood cell, Fluorocarbon emulsion, Anemia, Asphyxia.
INTRODUCTION
Respirocyte is a hypothetical nano machine
capable of behaving like a red blood cell in
humans. It could use to augment or replace entirely
our own red blood cells as a carrier of oxygen and
carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. These artificial
red blood cells have a potential capacity for
oxygen 2366 times greater than hemoglobin, the
body own oxygen transport protein. This extremely
inflated value could further the fear of the
formation of an elite race, those with capabilities
far exceeding those of standard human beings. This
is because, in theory, circulating respirocytes (in
the bloodstream of an adult) means that they aquire
the ability to dive for up to 4 hours before
resurfacing. Furthermore, while resurfacing, the
enhanced diver would not have to worry of

decompression sickness. Decompression sickness

(or the bends as it is known) is caused when
nitrogen, which has been dissolved in the blood at
deeper depths and pressures, bubbles in the blood.
To counter this, respirocytes -configured to absorb
nitrogen as opposed to oxygen could be taken by
the diver in the form of a capsule as a therapeutic
dose. This would mean that the diver could survive
the rapid fluctuation in pressures, associated with
rising rapidly through deep water, with no adverse
effects. Further to this, respirocytes could also see
a marked increase in the ability of sports men and
women.
Respirocytes are nanomachines, tiny mechanical
devices designed to operate on the molecular level.
Each respirocyte is between 0.2 and 2 microns in

diameter. Respirocytes function as artificial red

blood cells, carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide
molecules through the blood cells (Drexler et al.,
1981), it has 3 chambers, one is an oxygen vessel
that contains oxygen gas, another is a carbon
dioxide vessel that stores carbon dioxide and third
is a water ballet that helps maintaining buoyancy.
There are specific rotors for the function of
controlled uptake and release of oxygen and carbon
dioxide. There is also a rotor that allows the
passage of glucose into the device, which is
combined with the oxygen from the internal
storage tank to produce energy required for the
working of respirocyte

chemical, biochemical, and parasitic poisons;

improve physical endurance and stamina; and
partially protect from various accidents and other
physical harm. With the availability of mature
molecular nanotechnology we could replace blood
with a single complex robot. This robot would
duplicate all essential thermal and biochemical
transport functions of the blood, including
circulation of respiratory gases, glucose, hormones,
cytokines, waste products, and all necessary
cellular components. The device would conform to
the shape of existing blood vessels. Ideally, it
would replace natural blood so thoroughly that the
rest of the body would remain, essentially
unaffected. It is, in effect, a mechanically
engineered redesign of the human circulatory
system nanobots will replace blood cells and do
their work thousands of times more effectively[2]

INVENTION:
Robert J Freitas, a nanotechnology
researcher at the Institute for Molecular
Manufacturing
visualized
a
future
"vasculoid"(vascular-like machine) that would
replace human blood with some 500 trillion
nanorobots distributed throughout the bodys
vasculature as a coating. It could eradicate heart
disease, stroke, and other vascular problems;
remove parasites, bacteria, viruses, and
metastasizing cancer cells to limit the spread of
blood borne disease; move lymphocytes faster to
improve immune response; reduce susceptibility to

SCOPE AND IMPORTANCE

According to the World Health Organization
todays world is suffering an extreme shortage of
donor blood; even with Red Cross receiving
36,000 units a day this doesnt satisfy the 80,000
that are needed (Suslick RF et al., 1995).
- People that have anemia also run into a blood
problem when theyre hemoglobin concentration in

the red blood cells fall below normal, which can

cause severe tissue.

- There is also a rotor that allows the passage of

glucose into the device, which is combined with
the oxygen from the internal storage tank to
produce energy required for the working of
respirocyte. This is done by an embedded fuel cell

- The root of the problem lies in hemoglobin

because it delivers oxygen from the lungs to the
body tissue.
- A possible future solution to this problem has
been purposed by Scientists at the Institute for
Molecular Manufacturing with their mechanical
artificial red cell called a Respirocyte (Drexler
KE et al., 1981).
- The respirocyte is a nano medical spherical
device made up of a flawless diamond or sapphire
shell.

Construction of Respirocyte Cell

The first concern in the design of a respirocyte is
the overall size. Obviously the device must be
small enough to pass unhindered through the
bloodstream. In fact, Freitas' design is significantly
smaller than a normal red blood cell (1 m in
diameter, as opposed to 6-8 m), allowing the
respirocytes to pass into the smallest capillaries,
where red blood cells can normally get stuck and
only move very slowly. This would allow for much
more efficient delivery of oxygen to tissue than is
possible with natural red cell

A liter of blood normally contains around.2 liters

of oxygen, the respirocyte contains 530 liters.
Using Van de Walls equation it has been calculated,
that a mol of oxygen at 1000 atmospheres,
occupies .048 liters, and at 1 atmosphere occupies
around 25.4 liters.
- The ration is around 530:1, by further
calculations oxygen at 1000 atmospheres could
approximately last 36 hours.
- Perhaps an even more advanced respirocyte could
detect when the oxygen levels reached too low, and
only then would it released oxygen as a means of
reserve for emergency situations.
- This type of respirocyte would also be
around1000 times more efficient than normal red
blood cells.
MECHANISM/PRINCIPLE
Respirocyte consists of oxygen vessel that contains
oxygen gas, another is a carbondioxide vessel that
stores carbon dioxide and third is a water ballet
that helps maintaining buoyancy ( Suslick RF et
al., 1981).
There are specific rotors for the function of
controlled uptake and release of oxygen and carbon
dioxide.

FUNCTIONALITY
A working respirocyte would need the following
components:
Molecular rotors, built from around 100,000 atoms
(Merkle RC et al.,1992) to pump gases in and out
of the pressurized storage chambers, and collect
glucose for energy. These would be functionalized

with selective binding sites, restricting them from

pumping all but one type of molecule.
A power generator of some sort, most likely similar
in operation to a fuel cell, which would use glucose
collected by a selective pump rotor to generate
enough energy to power the device.
Water ballast chambers, to control buoyancy.
Various types of sensors, to determine the
concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the
vicinity, and monitor the pressure within the gas
storage tanks.
A tiny computer would be needed to interpret
input from the sensors, and use the data to govern
gas flow rates and power distribution. The
computer would need only modest processing
power, by the standard of normal sized computers,
but the computing core and the data storage would
have to fit inside a unit 124 nm across.Pressure
transducers on the outside of the structure have
been proposed as a receiver for programming
instructions, sent by a physician via an encoded
series of compression pulses.

- Tumortherapy and Diagnosis

The formulations of respirocytes have been used to
probe tissue oxygen tension. Respirocytes could be
used as informer devices to map a patients whole
body blood pressure or oxygenations profile
storing direct sensor data in each computer, to be
later retrieved by device filtration and data
reconstruction (Spence RK et al., 1991).
-Asphyxia
Respirocytes should product breathing in case of
oxygen-poor environment or where normal
breathing is physically impossible.
- Under Water Breathing
Respirocytes act as in vivo scuba device.
There product relives in ease of dangerous hazard
of deep sea diving caisson disease, the nitrogen
bubbles are formed in blood as a diver rises to the
surface, from gas previously dissolved in the blood
at higher pressure at greater depth. Respirocytes as
a long-duration perfusion to preserve living tissue
(Pearson D et al., 1992).

APPLICATIONS OF RESPIROCYTES
- Treatment of Anemia
Respirocytes which are in oxygenated from they
product complete or partial symptomatic treat for
all forms of anemia, including acute anemia caused
by a sudden loss of blood after injury or surgical
intervention (Young son C et al.,1993).

FUTURE:
Respirocytes are a form of nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology refers to the manipulation of
substances on a nanometer scale, thus allowing
design of machine at the molecular or even atomic
level. Currently nanotechnology has only
progressed to allow the assembly of relatively
large, simple items. The earliest and most famous
of these was IBM's arrangement of individual
xenon atoms.
Within the next twenty years nanotechnology will
advance greatly, and may be fully capable of
producing
tiny complex
machines. The
development of nanodevices that assemble other
nanomachines will allow for massive cheap
production.
Thus
respirocytes
could
be
manufactured economically and abundantly.

- Respirotory Diseases
Respirocytes are used to treat the low oxygen
availability to nerve tissues as occurs in advanced
atherosclerotic narrowing of arteries strokes low
blood flow condition are observed in most organs
of people as geriatrics (Spence RK et al., 1991).
-Cardio Vascular and Neurovasular Application
Perfusion of respirocytes should be useful in
maintaining tissue oxygenation during coronary
angioplasty, organ transplantation, and Siamesetwin separation and in cardiopulmonary bypass
solutions (Spence RK et al., 1991).

Although early respirocytes will be used for

emergency respiratory functions, they may
eventually lead to permanent replacement for
natural red blood cells. Temporary respirocytes
would be extremely effective in saving lives, but
do have limitations. Permanent substitution would
greatly increase the energy efficiency of the human
body and the safety of everyday life. [5]

REFERENCES:
[1] TanmayBBaid, RohitTomar; Seminar report on
Nanotechnology: Engineering an era of industial
revolution;
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13602733/Nanotechnol
ogy-Seminar
[2]Nanobots: The Artificial Blood;
http://www.scribd.com/doc/60756907/NANOBOT
S
[3] Tracy V Wilson; How Artificial blood works?
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/every
day-innovations/artificial-blood1.htm
[4] Robert A. Freitas; Jr. Nanomedicine Art Gallery
http://www.foresight.org/Nanomedicine/Gallery/Sp
ecies/Respirocytes.html
[5] http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/10955/index.html
[6]Manivannan.L,
VinothKumar.R;
Nanotechnology in Medicine
http://123seminarsonly.com/SeminarReports/006/50179092-Nano-technology-paper.pdf

CONCLUSION
The bots will be a thousand times more efficient
than the RBCs they seek to replace. Agreed this
nano-robotic blood will be more than a little time
in the making. But who knows, one day it could
very well change the course of human evolution.
Eventually, as we continue to enhance and
replace the biological body one part at a time,
artificial white blood cells will likely be developed
to augment and ultimately replace the human
immune system. Even sub-cellular systems such as
the organelles, and even the entire nucleus within
each of our cells are not beyond technological
replacement - at least in theory.[2]