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| Nanomagnets 'could target cancer' | Nanomagnets 'could target cancer' |
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| Tiny magnets made by bacteria could be used to kill tumours, say researchers. | Tiny magnets made by bacteria could be used to kill tumours, say researchers. |
| A team at the University of Edinburgh has developed a method of making the nanomagnets stronger, opening the way for their use in cancer treatment. | A team at the University of Edinburgh has developed a method of making the nanomagnets stronger, opening the way for their use in cancer treatment. |
| The bacteria-produced magnets are better than man-made versions because of their uniform size and shape, the Nature Nanotechnology study reported. | The bacteria-produced magnets are better than man-made versions because of their uniform size and shape, the Nature Nanotechnology study reported. |
| It is hoped one day the magnets could be guided to tumour sites and then activated to destroy cancerous cells. | It is hoped one day the magnets could be guided to tumour sites and then activated to destroy cancerous cells. |
| The bacteria take up iron from their surroundings and turn it into a string of magnetic particles. | The bacteria take up iron from their surroundings and turn it into a string of magnetic particles. |
| They use the chains of particles like a needle of a compass to orientate themselves and search for oxygen-rich environments. | |
| For nanoparticles to be used in medicine you need them to be a very uniform size and shape and bacteria are very good for that Dr Sarah Staniland, study leader | For nanoparticles to be used in medicine you need them to be a very uniform size and shape and bacteria are very good for that Dr Sarah Staniland, study leader |
| There has been a lot of interest in their potential application in medicine, but how useful they could be will depend on the strength of the magnets. | There has been a lot of interest in their potential application in medicine, but how useful they could be will depend on the strength of the magnets. |
| Scientists at Edinburgh University grew the bacteria in a mixture that contained more cobalt than iron. | Scientists at Edinburgh University grew the bacteria in a mixture that contained more cobalt than iron. |
| The addition of cobalt in the nanomagnets made them 36-45% stronger. | The addition of cobalt in the nanomagnets made them 36-45% stronger. |
| This meant they stayed magnetised longer when taken out of a magnetic field. | This meant they stayed magnetised longer when taken out of a magnetic field. |
| 'Exciting research' | 'Exciting research' |
| The ability of the nanomagnets to remain magnetised opens the way for their use in killing tumour cells, the researchers said. | The ability of the nanomagnets to remain magnetised opens the way for their use in killing tumour cells, the researchers said. |
| They could be guided to the site of a tumour magnetically. | They could be guided to the site of a tumour magnetically. |
| Once there, applying an opposite magnetic field would cause the nanomagnets to heat up, destroying cells in the process. | Once there, applying an opposite magnetic field would cause the nanomagnets to heat up, destroying cells in the process. |
| They could also potentially be used to carry drugs directly to the cancerous tissue. | They could also potentially be used to carry drugs directly to the cancerous tissue. |
| Study leader, Dr Sarah Staniland, a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, said: "For nanoparticles to be used in medicine you need them to be a very uniform size and shape and bacteria are very good for that. | Study leader, Dr Sarah Staniland, a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, said: "For nanoparticles to be used in medicine you need them to be a very uniform size and shape and bacteria are very good for that. |
| "This increases the scope for their use in cancer. | "This increases the scope for their use in cancer. |
| "You would move them with a normal magnetic field and then heat them with the opposing field." | "You would move them with a normal magnetic field and then heat them with the opposing field." |
| Liz Baker, Cancer Research UK's science information officer, said: "Targeting treatments specifically to cancer cells is an exciting area of research, but in this case work is still at a very early stage. | Liz Baker, Cancer Research UK's science information officer, said: "Targeting treatments specifically to cancer cells is an exciting area of research, but in this case work is still at a very early stage. |
| "It will be interesting to see if further research into nanomagnets will provide us with a new and effective anti-cancer therapy." | "It will be interesting to see if further research into nanomagnets will provide us with a new and effective anti-cancer therapy." |
| The research was carried out alongside scientists at Daresbury Laboratory in the UK and the Institut Laue-Lengevin in Grenoble, France. |