A group of researchers, led by Dr. Sarah Staniland from the University of Edinburgh, have developed an innovative approach to create stronger nanomagnets that could be used to treat lethal cancer cells.
Nanomagnets are tiny, magnetically tailored particles measured in nanometres—one billionth of a metre. These intriguing bacteriaproduced magnets are identical in size and shape to each other, which distinguish them from less effective human-made nanomagnets.
“For nanoparticles to be used in medicine you need them to be a very uniform size and shape, and bacteria are very good for that,” said Staniland.
Bacteria usually extract iron from their surroundings to synthesize long chains of magnetic nanoparticles. These nanoparticles guide bacteria to oxygen-rich environments—a useful tool for survival.
Staniland, alongside scientists from Daresbury Laboratory and the Institut Laue-Langevin, sought a new method to create these miniscule magnets. By harvesting strains of the Magnetospirillum bacteria in a high-cobalt, lowiron mixture, the newly-synthesized nanomagnets were 36 to 45 per cent stronger. As well, when removed from their magnetic field, they remained magnetic for a longer period of time.
“The ability of the nanomagnets to remain magnetized opens the way for their use in killing tumour cells,” said researchers from the study published in Nature Nanotechnology.
But don’t let these microscopic magnets fool you: though invisible to the naked eye, they might be strong enough to wipe out cancerous cells. Researchers reveal that nanomagnets can be guided to cancerous regions magnetically.
“You would move them with a normal magnetic field, and then heat them with the opposing field,” said Staniland.
In a nutshell, when an opposing magnetic field increases the core temperature of the nanomagnets at a specific tumour site, they will heat and destroy the cancer cells in their area.
Realistically, this treatment is far from becoming a reality. Cancer Research UK’s science information officer, Liz Baker, explained that “targeting treatments specifically to cancer cells is an exciting area of research, but in this case work is still at a very early stage.”
When asked for their opinion on this new finding, many were excited at the prospect of fighting cancer with miniscule magnets. Michael Jamieson, a firefighting student at Seneca College, expressed interest in the idea.
“It’s awesome. Cancer is becoming more common these days and if we can find a way to treat it, we’d be saving a lot of people. I’m a smoker myself and I have to admit, cancer is something I worry about. If this kind of medical nanotechnology can help save lives then sign me up, just in case!” said Jamieson.
These versatile nanoparticles might be able to administer drug treatments directly to cancer cells to help manage their negative effects and aid in the healing process. This discovery opens up endless possibilities to create a whirlwind effect in the field of medicine.
“It will be interesting to see if further research into nanomagnets will provide us with a new and effective anti-cancer therapy,” said Baker.
