Biomagnets could be used to destroy cancer

Researchers in the UK have developed a method to strengthen bacteria-produced magnets or biomagnets that can be guided to tumours and destroy cancer cells.

The scientists at the University of Edinburgh say the tiny magnetic particles which are produced in bacteria could be used to kill tumours.

Study leader Dr. Sarah Staniland, says there is great interest in their potential application in medicine, but how useful they could be will depend on the strength of the magnets.

The scientists grew the bacteria in a mixture containing more cobalt than iron which made them 36-45% stronger and kept them magnetized longer, allowing them to be guided to tumour sites magnetically.

The bacteria-produced magnets are superior to man-made versions because of their uniform size and shape which is important when they are used in medicine.

The bacteria take up iron from their surroundings and turn it into a chain of magnetic particles which they use like the needle of a compass to orientate themselves and search for oxygen-rich environments.

Once at the site, an opposite magnetic field is applied to cause the nanoscale magnets to heat up and burn cancerous cells; the nanomagnets can also be used to carry anti-cancer drugs to cancerous tissues to destroy them.

In previous research on the use of biomagnets to kill cancer cells, because their magnetic field did not last long they were ineffective.

The research was carried out alongside scientists at Daresbury Laboratory in the UK and the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France and is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.