Discover a new way to detect and treat cancer using nanomagnets. Read this article and learn how nano magnets can pull cancer cells out of the body.
Cancer stands as one of the deadliest diseases worldwide. When left untreated, it can spread to various body organs, ultimately leading to fatalities. That's why scientists are relentlessly exploring ways to detect and treat cancer effectively. A recent breakthrough in this quest involves the use of nano magnets to draw cancer cells out of the body.
What Are Nano Magnets?
Nano magnets are minuscule magnetic particles, measuring less than a thousandth of an inch or approximately 25 nanometers. These particles can be synthesized through various methods, including chemistry, physics, or biology. Nano magnets possess strong magnetic properties, making them responsive to external magnetic fields.
How Do Nano Magnets Capture Cancer?
Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have devised a technique to attach nano magnets to cancer cells and then extract them from the body using another magnet. The process involves immersing ovarian cancer cells into a protein solution containing nano magnets. This protein acts as a bridge between the cancer cells and the nano magnets, ensuring that the cancer cells remain attached during extraction.
Subsequently, these magnetized cancer cells are injected into the bodies of mice. Researchers then place a magnet above the mice's abdomen for 30 seconds. As a result, the cancer cells aggregate beneath the mouse's skin at the location where the magnet is placed. This approach allows cancer cells to be transferred from inside the body to the external environment.
Furthermore, researchers have successfully relocated cancer cells from within the body into a plastic tube using a circulation pump system. This system comprises a syringe needle inserted into the mice's blood vessels, a plastic tube containing a solution of protein and nano magnets, and an external magnet positioned around the tube. By circulating the mouse's blood through the plastic tube, magnetized cancer cells are captured by the external magnet and separated from the blood.
What Are the Benefits of This Technique?
This technique holds the potential to revolutionize cancer diagnosis and therapy. Nano magnets enable the early and precise detection of cancer cells. Moreover, cancer cells can be removed from the body without the need for invasive surgery or chemotherapy, which often carries risks of side effects.
However, further research is required before this technique can be applied to humans. One critical aspect to explore is the long-term impact of nano magnets on the body, particularly whether these particles are toxic or not. If proven safe and effective, this technique could emerge as a groundbreaking tool in the fight against cancer.
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