ABSTRACT
This entry will review the many different applications of magnetic latexes in biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics. The most common utilization is for rapid specific separation of various biological products, often in association with immunological or nucleic acid interactions. Magnetic particles are also utilized in biomolecule concentrations and as a marker in various labeling applications. Most of the criteria required by the magnetic particles are similar in many applications: small particle size to avoid sedimentation, good magnetic response (i.e., high magnetic content in the colloidal particles), high colloidal stability, narrow size distribution, and no residual magnetization when the magnetic field is suppressed (i.e., no remanence).
