ABSTRACT
Amidst the ongoing nanotechnology revolution in biomedical research and therapeutic applications, magnetic nanotechnology has attracted increasing attention. The most traditional application of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedical research has been in imaging, where gadolinium (Gd) or iron oxide-based nanoparticles are commonly used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). More recently, the application of magnetic nanoparticles has also extended to flow cytometry and magnetically assisted cell sorting (MACS), where antibody-conjugated nanoparticles target specific cell surface proteins to preferentially select specific cell populations with magnetic forces. 4 In these and other applications, nanoparticles have begun to replace microparticles, because of their increased specificity binding to target proteins and optical qualities. Other more recent applications of magnetic nanoparticles utilize their magnetism to apply specific forces and direct cells. Although the toxicity of nanoparticles, including magnetic nanoparticles, is still a significant concern to their use, particularly clinical use, the potential applications of magnetic nanoparticles could strongly impact biology and medicine in the near future.
