Use of magnetic fields and nanoparticles to trigger drug release and improve tumor targeting

Abstract

Drug delivery strategies aim to maximize a drug's therapeutic index by increasing the concentration of drug at target sites while minimizing delivery to off‐target tissues. Because biological tissues are minimally responsive to magnetic fields, there has been a great deal of interest in using magnetic nanoparticles in combination with applied magnetic fields to selectively control the accumulation and release of drug in target tissues while minimizing the impact on surrounding tissue. In particular, spatially variant magnetic fields have been used to encourage accumulation of drug‐loaded magnetic nanoparticles at target sites, while time‐variant magnetic fields have been used to induce drug release from thermally sensitive nanocarriers. In this review, we discuss nanoparticle formulations and approaches that have been developed for magnetic targeting and/or magnetically induced drug release, as well as ongoing challenges in using magnetism for therapeutic applications. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > in vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease

Optimization of a NdFeB permanent magnet configuration for in-vivo drug delivery experiments

“…In the last years, functionalized monodomain Magnetic NanoParticles (MNPs) as carriers for magnetic drug delivery therapy have been extensively studied as a promising less destructive alternative to typical chemiotherapic protocols against several types of cancer [1][2][3]. Special attention was given to side-specific targeting of stem cells enhanced with gene therapy [4][5][6] which invoked interests in the fundamental studies of influences of the magnetic field and MNPs on the viability and manipulation of the cell`s behavior [7][8][9].…”

<p>An in vitro Model System for Evaluating Remote Magnetic Nanoparticle Movement and Fibrinolysis</p>

“…This has primarily been due to the problem of scale since the attractive force between MNPs and a magnet is inversely proportional to at least the fourth power of the distance. 29,30 Recently, however, our group reported the development of a model system which allows MNPs to be moved "remotely," over human-sized distances (e.g., 5-30 cm) by means of a rotating permanent magnet. 29,31,32 This system employs macroscopic lanes which may be coated with endothelial cells, thereby simulating blood vessels, and allows videography for quantification of the velocities of the MNP clusters moving down the lanes.…”

Model-based optimized steering and focusing of local magnetic particle concentrations for targeted drug delivery

“…Targeted drug delivery covers a broad range of disciplines such as in-vivo biochemical and physical drug release mechanisms, implantable systems, nanocarrier applications, etc. In this field also the subject of magnetic drug targeting (MDT) is researched, in which carriers in the nano- or micrometer size range are magnetically responsive, allowing them to be non-invasively manipulated or triggered by external magnets for all kinds of therapeutic or diagnostic purposes (Lübbe et al., 2001 ; Pankhurst et al., 2003 , 2009 ; Price et al., 2018 ; Liu et al., 2019 ; Mirza, 2020 ). By coating these magnetic nano- (MNP) or microparticles with chemotherapeutic agents, the treatment of tumorous tissue is enabled.…”