Iron oxide-based nanomagnets in nanomedicine: fabrication and applications

Iron oxide-based nanomagnets in nanomedicine: fabrication and applicationsAll authorsMeng Meng Lin, Hyung-Hwan Kim, Hyuck Kim, Mamoun Muhammed & Do Kyung Kimhttps://doi.org/10.3402/nano.v1i0.4883Published online:16 February 2010Display full size Iron oxide-based nanomagnets have attracted a great deal of attention in nanomedicine over the past decade. Down to the nanoscale, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can only be magnetized in the presence of an external magnetic field, which makes them capable of forming stable colloids in a physio-biological medium. Their superparamagnetic property, together with other intrinsic properties, such as low cytotoxicity, colloidal stability, and bioactive molecule conjugation capability, makes such nanomagnets ideal in both in-vitro and in-vivo biomedical applications. In this review, a chemical, physical, and biological synthetic approach to prepare iron oxide-based nanomagnets with different physicochemical properties was illustrated and compared. The growing interest in iron oxide-based nanomagnets with multifunctionalities was explored in cancer diagnostics and treatment, focusing on their combined roles in a magnetic resonance contrast agent, hyperthermia, and magnetic force assisted drug delivery. Iron oxides as magnetic carriers in gene therapy were reviewed with a focus on the sophisticated design and construction of magnetic vectors. Finally, the iron oxide-based nanomagnet also represents a very promising tool in particle/cell interfacing in controlling cellular functionalities, such as adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and cell patterning, in stem cell therapy and tissue engineering applications.Iron oxide-based nanomagnets in nanomedicine: fabrication and applicationsAll authorsMeng Meng Lin, Hyung-Hwan Kim, Hyuck Kim, Mamoun Muhammed & Do Kyung Kimhttps://doi.org/10.3402/nano.v1i0.4883Published online:16 February 2010Display full size Meng Meng Lin received a BSc in biotechnology at the University of Hong Kong, China in 2004 and an MSc in biomedical nanotechnology at Newcastle University, UK, in 2005. She is currently working toward her PhD at the Institute of Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele University, UK. She was a visiting student at the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, in 2006. Her research interests include nanoparticles preparation, cell/nanomaterials interface, and cancer-oriented drug delivery.Iron oxide-based nanomagnets in nanomedicine: fabrication and applicationsAll authorsMeng Meng Lin, Hyung-Hwan Kim, Hyuck Kim, Mamoun Muhammed & Do Kyung Kimhttps://doi.org/10.3402/nano.v1i0.4883Published online:16 February 2010Display full size Hyung-Hwan Kim received an MSc degree in chemistry from Korea University in 1998 and a PhD in oriental medicine from Kyung Hee University, Korea, in 2003. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Vascular Medicine Research Unit, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, in 2003. He has been working as an instructor at the Harvard Medical School since 2007 and is Vice Director of the International Research Center of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jungwon University, Korea. His research interests include cells and signal pathways in vascular biology field.Iron oxide-based nanomagnets in nanomedicine: fabrication and applicationsAll authorsMeng Meng Lin, Hyung-Hwan Kim, Hyuck Kim, Mamoun Muhammed & Do Kyung Kimhttps://doi.org/10.3402/nano.v1i0.4883Published online:16 February 2010Display full size Hyuck Kim received a PhD in oriental medicine from Kyung Hee University, Korea, in 2004. He is currently adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Herb Industry, Jungwon University, Korea, and Director of the International Research Center of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jungwon University, Korea, since 2008. Additionally, he is President of Jein Medical Center since 2006. He is establishing a collaboration with Harvard Medical School on Asian Hybrid Medicine.Iron oxide-based nanomagnets in nanomedicine: fabrication and applicationsAll authorsMeng Meng Lin, Hyung-Hwan Kim, Hyuck Kim, Mamoun Muhammed & Do Kyung Kimhttps://doi.org/10.3402/nano.v1i0.4883Published online:16 February 2010Display full size Mamoun Muhammed received a BSc and MSc from Cairo University, and a PhD from the Royal Institute of Technology in 1975. He is Chairman of the International Committee on Nanostructured Materials since 2005 and is currently Chair Professor, Head of Functional Materials Division at the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. He has published over 200 papers, co-edited one book, and has been a guest editor for two special volumes in the Nanostructured Materials Journal.Do Kyung Kim received a PhD in nanobio from the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden in 2002. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in 2003. He is currently a lecturer in the Institute of Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele University, UK, and Professor at the International Research Center of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Jungwon University, Korea. His research interests include target-oriented drug delivery systems, contrast agents, and quantum dots for nanomedicine.