News Article
Magnetic bacteria could treat cancer
Strengthened magnets from bacteria could be used to target cancer.
Tiny magnets made within naturally occurring magnetic bacteria could be developed for use in cancer treatments, following successful strengthening of the nanomagnets for the first time by scientists at the University of Edinburgh. The research could help to create targeted anti cancer therapies. The nanomagnets could be guided to the site of a tumour magnetically and then use heat from an external magnetic field to either destroy the cancerous tissue or release drugs attached to the magnets. Naturally occurring magnetic bacteria form bio nanomagnets in a chain within the bacteria rather like beads on a string. Their formation is very uniform and they are compatible with living organisms, which makes them more suitable than man made nanomagnets for use in medical applications. Scientists have grown magnetic aquatic bacteria in a cobalt metal solution, creating cobalt doped bio nanomagnets with strong and controllable magnetic properties, increasing the scope of applications for these bio nanomagnetic materials. These enhanced bio nanomagnets may also have applications in electronic devices and high density data storage devices. The research, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), was carried out alongside scientists at Daresbury Laboratory in the UK and the Institute Laue-Lengevin in Grenoble, France, and has been published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
