Magnetic nanoparticles prepared at Nanoprobes have been used to treat cancer with an 80%+ cure rate in mice, using an experimental magnetic hyperthermia therapy (magnetic heating of injected sperparamagnetic nanoparticles). Learn how it works from Dr. James F Hainfeld and Hui Huang of Nanoprobes in this video abstract.
Our latest line of nanoparticles are iron-based, yet carefully engineered for both biocompatibility and superparamagnetic properties - and heating in an alternating magnetic field.
Superparamagnetic iron oxide core
Biocompatible shell of long-chain PEG
Extremely low toxicity: MTD50 ≥ 1g Fe/kg in mice*
Long blood half-life
Sized to use EPR to load angiogenic, cancerous tissue
Excellent heating in an alternating magnetic field
Applications
Nano-scale electronics
MRI contrast agents
Cancer treatment using magnetic hyperthermia**
...and many more potential industrial applications
Our FerroMag™ biocompatible magnetic nanoparticles are unique in the market
A significant breakthrough in the pursuit of the medical treatments, contrast agents and sensors of the future.
*Tolerance may vary by mouse strain.
**Not yet approved for clinical use.
Magnetic nanoparticles heated by an alternating magnetic field could be used to treat cancers, either alone or in combination with radiotherapy or chemotherapy. However, direct intratumoral injections suffer from tumor incongruence and invasiveness, typically leaving undertreated regions, which lead to cancer regrowth. Intravenous injection more faithfully loads tumors, but, so far, it has been difficult achieving the necessary concentration in tumors before systemic toxicity occurs. Here, we describe use of a magnetic nanoparticle that, with a well-tolerated intravenous dose, achieved a tumor concentration of 1.9 mg Fe/g tumor in a subcutaneous squamous cell carcinoma mouse model, with a tumor to non-tumor ratio > 16. With an applied field of 38 kA/m at 980 kHz, tumors could be heated to 60°C in 2 minutes, durably ablating them with millimeter (mm) precision, leaving surrounding tissue intact.
Interest in utilizing magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) for biomedical applications has increased considerably over the past two decades. This excitement has been driven in large part by the success of MNPs as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging. The recent investigative trend with respect to cancer has continued down a diagnostic path, but has also turned toward concurrent therapy, giving rise to the distinction of MNPs as potential "theranostics"...
Engineered magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) represent a cutting-edge tool in medicine because they can be simultaneously functionalized and guided by a magnetic field. Use of MNPs has advanced magneticresonance imaging (MRI), guided drug and gene delivery, magnetic hyperthermia cancer therapy, tissue engineering, cell tracking and bioseparation. Integrative therapeutic and diagnostic (i.e., theragnostic) applications have emerged with MNP use, such as MRI-guided cell replacement therapy or MRI-based imaging of cancer-specific gene delivery...
Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) possess unique magnetic properties and the ability to function at the cellular and molecular level of biological interactions making them an attractive platform as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and as carriers for drug delivery. Recent advances in nanotechnology have improved the ability to specifically tailor the features and properties of MNPs for these biomedical applications. To better address specific clinical needs, MNPs with higher magnetic moments, non-fouling surfaces, and increased functionalities are now being developed for applications in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of malignant tumors, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disease...
The combination of nanotechnology and molecular biology has developed into an emerging research area: nanobiotechnology. Magnetic nanoparticles are well-established nanomaterials that offer controlled size, ability to be manipulated externally, and enhancement of contrast in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). As a result, these nanoparticles could have many applications in biology and medicine, including protein purification, drug delivery, and medical imaging...
A progress report is presented on a selection of scientific, technological and commercial advances in the biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles since 2003...
