Magnetic iron nanowires track living cells in real time

The technique from a team at KAUST is said to use magnetic core-shell iron nanowires as nontoxic contrast agents, which can be implanted into live cells, lighting up those cells’ location inside a living organism when scanned with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The technique could have applications ranging from studying and treating cancer to tracking live-cell medical treatments, including stem cell therapies.

Targeting cancer with guided iron nanowires

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Jürgen Kosel and his team recently showed that core-shell iron nanowires could selectively kill cancer cells with a combination attack, delivering an anticancer drug into target cells while also puncturing the cell’s membrane and releasing heat into it.

Along with researchers from the CIC biomaGUNE in San Sebastian, Spain, the team has shown that the same type of iron core, iron-oxide shell nanowires, can be used for non-invasive medical imaging. According to KAUST, the nanowires could potentially be used as ‘theranostic’ agents, able to identify, track and then take out target cells. Their results are published in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology.