Abstract

A major goal of nanomedicine is to have better controls over biological processes for precision treatment of diseases, including cancer. In this talk I will present the development of multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles for guided delivery of therapeutic agents and cells, and for combined chemo- and hyperthermia-therapy. Specifically, we performed a systematic study on using magnetic force to alter biological processes such as endocytosis, cell migration and tissue permeability. Our results indicate that magnetic nanoparticles internalize info cells through an energy-dependent endocytic pathway, and the rate of endocytosis can be controlled by nanoparticle size and the applied magnetic force. The intracellular magnetic force can induce rearrangements of stress fibers, which leads to a reversible disruption of the tight junctions among endothelial cells. We also demonstrated that magnetic nanoparticles have the potential for use as a multimodal cancer therapy agent due to their ability to carry anticancer drugs and generate localized heat when exposed to an alternating magnetic field, resulting in combined chemotherapy and hyperthermia. Taken together, our studies suggest that the use of magnetic nanoparticles provides a means for magnetically controlled delivery of drug molecules and cells, and opens up new opportunities for nanotherapeutics.