Magnetic painkiller technique could revolutionise treatment

For most of the history of medicine, the best way to treat many disorders is through drugs: chemical compounds that influence biology, whether they are derived from plants and animals or from laboratories and chemical plants. Researchers at the University California Los Angeles are now investigating a different technique which involves no drugs but uses magnetic fields to manipulate the microscopic activity of the human body.

A team of bioengineers led by Professor Dino Di Carlo has developed a gel -like material containing microscopic magnetic particles that can be injected into a site where a patient is experiencing pain, either from disease or injury. They used these particles to control proteins in cell membranes that, in turn, control the flow of ions which are involved in mediating and transmitting the sensations of pain.

The lead author of a study in Advanced Materials describing the research, Andy Kah Ping Tay of the Samueli School of Engineering, explained that the technique exploits a phenomenon known as neural network homeostasis, which describes returning a biological system to a stable state. This, he said, lessens the signals of pain through the nervous system. Ultimately, this could lead to new ways to provide therapeutic pain relief.