Tiny magnets made up of bacteria found near water could be used to destroy cancerous tumours.

Tiny magnets could be used in battle against cancer .

Tiny magnets made up of bacteria found near water could be used to destroy cancerous tumours. Edinburgh University researchers believe the minuscule magnets could help create anti-cancer therapies.

The treatment would work by using a luring magnetic force to guide tiny nanomagnets directly to the site of a tumour. Heat from the magnetic field would then be used to destroy the tumour or release drugs attached to the magnet.

The naturally occurring magnetic bacteria measure just three micrometres long - a micrometre is 1,000th of a millimetre - and form bio-nanomagnets in a chain like beads on a string. The three-year research project, due to be published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, was able to strengthen the force of the magnets by replacing their iron uptake with cobalt.

Dr Sarah Staniland, from the university's school of biological sciences, said the next step could now be trying other metals to widen use of the magnets further. She said, 'The key message is that we can change magnetism and that increases the scope of what we can do.'


This content was created on Wed 5 March 2008

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