From flask to clinic: the story of a magnetic nanoparticle
Keywords:
Magnetic nanoparticles, magnetic hyperthermia, protein corona, cancerAbstract
This text, tell in the first person, traces a magnetic nanoparticle’s journey from its birth in a laboratory flask to its arrival in the clinic, combining creative imagery with scientific accuracy. Through snapshots of the lab and accessible hints of physics and biology, the particle explains how magnetism (rooted in quantum phenomena) becomes a measurable action when an alternating field drives localized heat dissipation as a therapeutic aid against cancer. Between biocompatible coatings and the protein corona, the narrative shows how a “nearly” idea can become a fundamental tool for doing good.
References
Pankhurst, Q. A., Connolly, J., Jones, S. K., & Dobson, J. (2003). Applications of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedicine. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 36(13), R167–R181. https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/36/13/201
Laurent, S., Dutz, S., Häfeli, U. O., & Mahmoudi, M. (2008). Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: Synthesis, stabilization, vectorization, physicochemical characterizations, and biological applications. Chemical Reviews, 108(6), 2064–2110. https://doi.org/10.1021/cr068445e
Monopoli, M. P., Åberg, C., Salvati, A., & Dawson, K. A. (2012). Biomolecular coronas provide the biological identity of nanosized materials. Nature Nanotechnology, 7(12), 779–786. https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2012.207
Hergt, R., & Dutz, S. (2007). Magnetic particle hyperthermia—Biophysical limitations of a visionary tumour therapy. Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 311(1), 187–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmmm.2006.10.1156
Nowak-Jary, J., & Machnicka, B. (2023). In vivo biodistribution and clearance of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for medical applications. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 18, 4067–4100. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S415063
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de divulgación científica iBIO
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Self-archiving or deposit of the works in their post-publication version (editorial version) is permitted in any personal, institutional or thematic repository, social or scientific networks. The above applies from the moment of publication of the article in question on the website of the Revista de divulgación científica iBIO.
