Cell Ablation Via Magnetic Nanoparticles and Their Inherent Toxicity

The development of magnetic-field induced hyperthermia systems to treat cancer is being widely investigated. Magnetic nanoparticles can be localized in vivo and heated through an AC current. These particles can be used for either hyperthermia (less than 45 ^o C) or cell ablation (higher temperatures) to slow the growth of or effectively kill cancerous cells. Using a custom-built magnetic coil hyperthermia chamber, thermal profiles were measured using an infrared camera for different magnetic nanoparticle compositions, sizes, and concentrations. The effectiveness of magnetic heating will be confirmed using a Drosophila fruit fly cell culture.

The toxicity of nanoparticles is also an important consideration in biological systems, so the cell cultures will also be used to screen magnetic nanoparticles based on composition, size, and concentration. Different surfactants which disperse these nanoparticles in aqueous solution will also be studied. By tagging the nanoparticles with a fluorescent probe, confocal microscopy is used to determine whether the nanoparticles can pass through the cell membrane and where they prefer to localize in a cell (e.g., cytoplasm, lipid bilayer, etc.). These results will aid in the preparation of magnetic nanoparticles for the design of a diagnostic and therapeutic platform for human cancer therapy.