Magnetic microparticles could fight cancerous tumors

For the past decade, two teams of researchers at Irig* have been investigating how to destroy tumors by injecting and then vibrating magnetic microparticles with an alternating magnetic field. One obstacle stands in their way: It takes too long to produce the perfectly calibrated disc-shaped microparticles. So, instead they used micrometer-sized grains of ground iron oxide powder functionalized with polyethylene glycol.
The production yields are 1,000 times those of the microparticles. In in vitro testing, the grains dispersed better in the tumor, causing apoptosis, or spontaneous death, of the cancer cells, rather than necrosis, which is more likely to cause the tumor to metastasize. The objective of the research, which is ongoing, is to bring the solution through clinical trials.

*Spintec and SyMMES

Contact: robert.morel@cea.fr

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