Virtual MPI Meetings Organized by Magnetic Insight

In the light of major conference cancellations, the magnetic particle imaging community has decided to maintain our fast progress in molecular imaging and support the trainees that are hard at work producing groundbreaking data.

MPI is inviting researchers in the MPI field to participate in the Magnetic Particle Imaging Rising Stars 2020 Molecular Imaging eSymposia, taking place on April 21st and 22nd at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET.

If you do some cool MPI research and would like to give a short 10 minute presentation, then please submit an abstract online at this address.

Abstract Deadline: April 3rd, 2020. For any questions, please contact Jeff Gaudet PhD.

Full-Color Magnetic Nanoparticles Based on Holmium-Doped Polymers

Michinari Kohri et al. just published a very cool paper in ACS Applied Polymer Materials. They demonstrated the production of colorless and full-color magnetic nanoparticles based on holmium (Ho)-doped polymers, which could not be achieved with conventional dark brown iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles. The coordination of Ho, a lanthanide with low colorability and a strong magnetic moment, with a poly(2-acetoacetoxy ethyl methacrylate) brush built on the surface of submicron-sized silica particles allowed for the formation of colorless magnetic nanoparticles. Additionally, bright and full-color magnetic nanoparticles were obtained by mixing different colored magnetic nanoparticles that were prepared by copolymerization of 2-acetoacetoxy ethyl methacrylate and dye monomers. Various colors, including transparency, were demonstrated by means of the present method, which determines the presence or absence of magnetism by Ho doping.

The bright and magnetically controllable colored nanoparticles presented herein may have a significant impact on practical substances and applications, such as ink and biomedical and device applications.

Check out the article here.

200th Anniversary of Hans Christian Oersted

On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Ørsted's discovery of electromagnetism, a number of events were held during the year, including a series of anniversary lectures, which unfortunately had to be canceled due to the Coronavirus situation. Several of them have been video-recorded and can be viewed on YouTube.

As many of you know, I have a joint professorship at the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Copenhagen. Oersted was a pharmacist, and we can see him every day as a bronze bust (see to the right). 

If you interested in his history, I recommend to watch now one of these lectures: HC Ørsted and the Pharmacy History, by Dr. Pharm. Poul R. Kruse, who worked at the Danish School of Pharmacy. With his usual legendary thoroughness and accuracy, Poul Kruse examines HC Ørsted's pharmaceutical background and decisive influence on pharmaceutical (and chemistry) education in Denmark in the 19th century, including the importance for the later development of the Danish pharmaceutical and chemical industry.

You can watch the lecture via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMIBqtR7f5Q

Magnetic Particle Spectroscopy for Detection of Influenza A Virus Subtype H1N1

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with proper surface functionalization have been extensively applied as labels for magnetic immunoassays, carriers for controlled drug/gene delivery, tracers and contrasts for magnetic imaging, etc. Kai Wu and Jian-Ping Wang et al. introduced a new biosensing scheme based on magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS) and the self-assembly of MNPs to quantitatively detect H1N1 nucleoprotein molecules. MPS monitors the harmonics of oscillating MNPs as a metric for the freedom of rotational process, thus indicating the bound states of MNPs. These harmonics can be readily collected from nanogram quantities of iron oxide nanoparticles within 10 s. The H1N1 nucleoprotein molecule hosts multiple different epitopes that forms binding sites for many IgG polyclonal antibodies. Anchoring IgG polyclonal antibodies onto MNPs triggers the cross-linking between MNPs and H1N1 nucleoprotein molecules, thereby forming MNP self-assemblies. Using MPS and the selfassembly of MNPs, they were able to detect as low as 44 nM (4.4 pmole) H1N1 nucleoprotein. In addition, the morphologies and the hydrodynamic sizes of the MNP self-assemblies are characterized to verify the MPS results. Different MNP self-assembly models such as classical cluster, open ring tetramer, and chain model as well as multimers (from dimer to pentamer) are proposed and form a new biosensing scheme for detecting ultralow concentrations of target biomolecules as a rapid, sensitive, and wash-free magnetic immunoassays. Check out more details in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Astrophysicist Gets Magnets Stuck Up Nose While Inventing Coronavirus Device

An Australian astrophysicist has been admitted to hospital after getting four magnets stuck up his nose in an attempt to invent a device that stops people touching their faces during the coronavirus outbreak.

Dr Daniel Reardon, a research fellow at a Melbourne university, was building a necklace that sounds an alarm on facial contact, when the mishap occurred on Thursday night.

The 27 year-old astrophysicist, who studies pulsars and gravitational waves, said he was trying to liven up the boredom of self-isolation with the four powerful neodymium magnets.

“I have some electronic equipment but really no experience or expertise in building circuits or things,” he told Guardian Australia.

To read this article in its entirely, go on here.

3D Patterning of Cells in Magnetic Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Valentin Dediu et al. have realized a 3D magnetic patterning of two cell types in vitro inside an additive manufactured magnetic scaffold, as a conceptual precursor for the preparation of vascularised tissue. Nonhomogeneous magnetic gradients and loading magnetic configuration allowed for precise guiding of cells in a scaffold due to short range magnetic forces. The mathematical modelling confirmed the strong enhancement of the magnetic gradients and their particular geometrical distribution near the fibres, defining the preferential cell positioning on the micro-scale. Their method looks very promising in terms of assembling cellular constructs in a way that mimics physiological arrangements in vivo.

Check the paper which was published in Scientific Reports out here.

Special Issue "Magnetic Nanoparticles" in the Journal "Magnetochemistry"

The journal Magnetochemistry just published a special issue about "Magnetic Nanoparticles" which is open access. Check it out here.

The special issue is edited by Prof. Evgeny Katz (Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, USA). Among the reviews there is one written by Vlad Socoliuc, Ladislau Vekas and Etelka Tombacz with colleagues from Genova, Dubna, Szeged, Cluj and Timisoara. A very good read for both beginners and more experienced magnetic nanoparticle researchers. It looks at the usefulness of magnetic nanoparticles for nanomedicine from a materials science perspective. Check it out here.

Best Practices for Characterization of Magnetic Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

The use of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedical applications provides are a wealth of opportunities. Nonetheless, to truly understand the interactions of these materials in biological media, detailed characterization is necessary with these complex systems. Sarah Sandler and Ben Fellows in Thompson Mefford's lab highlight in a recent paper some “best practices” in the analytical techniques and challenges in the measurement of the properties of these materials.

Check it out - you might actually change of few things in your lab after reading this! This ACS Analytical Chemistry paper is available here.