Establishing stable antibody-magnetic nanoparticle conjugates: A methodological study

Antibody-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles offer considerable potential for morphological and functional assessment of vascular pathologies using Magnetic Resonance Imaging or Magnetic Particle Imaging. However, reliable antibody-nanoparticle conjugation remains technically challenging and strongly depends on the applied coupling chemistry. In this work, different maleimide-based conjugation strategies were evaluated to establish stable antibody attachment to amine-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles. This study highlights the critical impact of linker chemistry on antibody-nanoparticle conjugation and provides a methodological basis for further functional and imaging-based investigations with magnetic particle imaging.