ABSTRACT
Magnetic nanoparticles are one of the most remarkable nanomaterials in biomedical applications because of their nontoxicity, biocompatibility, and remote control property by applying a magnetic field. Instead of being used without modification, however, magnetic nanoparticles to be applied in the biomedical field should be functionalized to prevent aggregation in the body and provide colloidal stability, increase their biocompatibility, ensure transport to specific regions, and increase transport efficiency or gain different properties. Thus, the present chapter focuses on the significance of magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications and commonly used magnetic nanoparticles, their properties, surface modification types, and their benefits. Moreover, the recent studies in biomedical applications of functional magnetic nanoparticles are summarized. In this context, treatment applications such as drug delivery, hyperthermia, neutron capture therapy (NCT), imaging applications such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic particle imaging (MPI) and computed tomography (CT), and separation and detection applications for nucleic acids, proteins, and cells are emphasized in this chapter.
