Scientists in Paris, France have engineered liposomes containing iron-oxide nanoparticles and photosensitizers, and have used them to ablate cancerous tumors in mice. While current experimental cancer treatments employ either magnetic hyperthermia techniques or photodynamic therapy, this work is a new attempt to combine the two techniques into one self-contained injectable vessel. Liposomes are spherical, self-assembling, lipid bilayer structures. In the lowest energy state the hydrophobic tails touch inside the bilayer, which forms a sphere with a hydrophilic outer shell and a hydrophilic inner cage useful for carrying drugs, or in this case iron-oxide nanoparticles.
Lluis M. Martínez, SEPMAG Chief Scientific Officer
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The standardmethodfor developing and validatingBiomagnetic separation processes is sampling the supernatant at different times. This sample is usually measured using a spectrophotometer. Bead concentration is determined by selecting the right wavelength to avoid interferences with the biomolecules presents in the buffer and comparing it with a calibration curve. The separation time is selected when the number of beads approaches zero. Magnetic susceptibility using the fundamental frequency or some of its harmonics has recently been proposed as alternative.
Leading physicists and materials scientists from around the world will be migrating to Barcelona, Spain this July to discuss their newest and most exciting work with like-minded colleagues. The week-long conference will feature plenary and semi-plenary lectures, symposia, oral presentations, poster sessions, and plenty of opportunities for scientists to discuss their current research, find inspiration or answers, and spark ideas for future work.
It is hardly breakingnewsthat separation technologyis one of the most complex and important areas of biotechnology. Finding cost-effective separation techniques is a crucial factor forthe growth of industrial biotechnology. Not only is it necessary at the application point (diagnostics, protein purification, cell sorting) but also to facilitate large-scale production.
In June of 2014, a group in Dublin, Ireland created a novel assay to detect Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1) using magnetic separation and flow cytometry. Previous methods of detection relied on cell culture, polymerase chain reaction, enzyme immunoassay, or fluorescent antibody diagnostics. Those methods, while quite effective, are time consuming and require a full laboratory. Magnetic separation takes seconds, and the emergence of portable flow cytometry systems makes this new assay feasible for use in the field.
The apparentlysimple nature of the biomagnetic separation process is the reason for its great popularity in Life Science, but it is also one the causes behind problems with its proper application. All usersare aware of the working principle: the magnetic field applied generates a force over the magnetic beads or particles. It is very simple to perform a quick feasibility test: just take a small quantity of magnetic carriers in suspension, approach a magnet and – Voilà! – the beads/particles will speed towards the magnet.
Biomagnetic Separation has numerous applications in Life Science. From cell sorting to molecular diagnostics,thistechnology can beused with volumes ranging from a few nanoliters (lab-on-chip) to tens of liters (production of IVD-reagents).
Genomic sequencing and molecular analysis have become so standard to biological research that they are now all but required for work to be published in high profile journals. Outside the scientific realm, magnetic DNA purification is also fundamental to forensic analysis in the criminal justice system. Therefore, a method to rapidly extract and purify high-quality DNA and RNA from a variety of tissues is indispensable, and improvements to the technique are desired.
What is Fluorescence Activated Cell sorting?
Fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) is a technique to identify, count, and sort cells marked with a fluorescent label by suspending them in a fluid stream and passing them through a laser. The basic principles, first patented in 1953, were modified over the subsequent decade, and the first commercialized instrument was produced in 1968. Since then many advancements and variations on the theme have shaped modern instruments.
Many bioengineering laboratories are actively researching how to produce synthetic or natural scaffolds seeded with human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The aim of this work is to implant the structures into diseased or damaged sites and encourage healing by introducing a healthy pluripotent cell population on an anatomically correct form. Current research is particularly focused on including small molecules within the scaffold in order to steer MSCs to differentiate to a desired cell type. The number of possible combinations of scaffold material, biomolecular cues, and fabrication methods is vast and holds a lot of therapeutic potential.
