%0 Journal Article
%T Internalization of ferromagnetic nanowires by different living cells
%A Adriele Prina-Mello
%A Zhu Diao
%A John Coey
%J Journal of Nanobiotechnology
%D 2006
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1477-3155-4-9
%X Ferromagnetic nanoparticles have found widespread uses in modern biology and medicine [1-3]. They are used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging [4], localized radio-frequency heating [5] and applying mechanical stress in magnetic tweezers [6]. Applications include functionalized labeling [3] for separation [7], drug delivery [8], imaging and detection [9]. Most current cell labeling techniques use one of two approaches: (1) attaching magnetic nanoparticles to the cell surface or (2) internalizing the nanoparticles by fluid phase endocytosis [10].Studies of ferromagnetic nanowires are much less advanced. The advantages over the use of nanowires instead of nanoparticles are related to the favourable geometrical anisotropy, the increased surface to volume ratio and dipolar magnetic properties linked to the nanowire shape. Furthermore by using magnetic nanowires with large permanent magnetic moments it is possible to increase the range and effectiveness of such magnetic interactions to respond to the weak fields at a distance from external magnets.Techniques are well developed to produce these wires by electrodeposition into porous anodized alumina templates in milligram quantities, and it is possible to tailor their length by changing the deposition time, and their diameter by choosing a suitable template [13,14,16]. The wire composition may be uniform or variable along the length of the wire by varying the conditions of electrodeposition. The ability to code information and spatially-varying functionality into the nanowires, as well as their shape anisotropy, means that they have a potentially greater range of useful applications than nanoparticles.Recently it has been shown by Reich and co-workers [7,11,12] that nanowires can be internalized by immortalized fibroblasts, and can be used in biotechnological applications. There, the optimization and yield of magnetic nanowires was carried out as an alternative to magnetic particle separation system and as a
%U http://www.jnanobiotechnology.com/content/4/1/9