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Nanobiotechnology Week Magnetic Attractions
02 April 2014

Magnetic Attractions

A big challenge to treating cancer is targeting chemotherapies to the right place: how can we be sure a drug hits just the spot? Here, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses the magnetic properties of water molecules to map out the internal organs of a mouse (its tissues appear black, outlined in white). MRI is a widely used technology, but here it’s been taken a step further: tiny beads of silicon have been hyperpolarised, boosting their magnetic signal and making them visible under MRI. Five million times smaller than fleeing criminals captured on thermal vision cameras, the MRI follows the flow of the nanoparticles (red), from their point of injection (blue circle, left) until they settle minutes later in part of the mouse’s intestines (right hand picture). Using this visual technique on nanoparticles loaded with drugs might allow tumours to be better targeted, while watching the effects in real time.

Written by John Ankers

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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