Flower-like magnetic Nano-particles target difficult Cancer tumors

Thanks to the work of an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the Dartmouth Center of Nanotechnology Excellence, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the next-generation magnetic nano-particles (MNPs) may soon be treating deep-seated and difficult-to-reach tumors within the human body. Though the researchers caution that any new therapies based on their discoveries will have to prove safe and effective in clinical trials before becoming routinely available for people with cancer. They created a new class of flower-shaped magnetic nano-particles with superior performance in low-level magnetic fields and worked out their heating mechanism. The work provides future suggestions for developing a new generation of irregularly shaped magnetic nano-particles for hyperthermia cancer therapy.
Overall, magnetic nano-particle hyperthermia consists of two main steps: delivery and then activation of nano-particles inside tumor cells. Once the magnetic nano-particles are delivered inside tumor cells, the system activates an electromagnetic field that transfers energy to them, creating localized heating to destroy the tumor cells.
"The local temperature is directly related to the magnitude of the alternating magnetic field at the tumor," Shubitidze elaborated. "The alternating magnetic field from a coil decays rapidly, so to apply this technology in cases involving tumors deep within the body, such as pancreatic cancers, achieving a high-amplitude alternating magnetic field in the tumor necessitates an even higher amplitude alternating magnetic field at the surface. This high magnitude field can also elevate the temperature in normal tissues and limits applicability of magnetic nano-particle hyperthermia therapy by not getting enough heat out of the particles, which are in a tumor deep within the body."
The particles designed, synthesized and tested by the team show improved performance at low field levels compared to their commercially available counterparts.
This marks a significant step toward "enabling treatment of tumors that are deep within the body," said Shubitidze.