The nanobees can be tipped with hundreds of various cancer-killing or suppressing compounds, not just melittin. Whatever chemical is attached to the nanobees, the tiny particles are helping to solve one of the biggest problems in cancer treatment: drug delivery, says Chad Mirkin, a nanotechnology researcher at Northwestern University.

"We have lots of agents that can kill cells and kill them very well," said Mirkin. "But we need a way to deliver those agents to move around the body and deliver a payload [to tumor cells] with minimal damage to healthy cells."