June 15, 2008
Abstracts
Peter ZimmermanAssociate Professor, Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Diagnosis of Malaria using Magnetic Separation
Research in Prof. Zimmerman's laboratory is focused on understanding the influence of human and parasite genetic polymorphism on infection and pathogenesis of microbial pathogens. He has developed magnetism based diagnostic assays that will enable surveillance of the malaria parasite population within individuals and throughout malaria-endemic communities. Understanding the distribution of parasites expressing polymorphic antigen or drug resistance-conferring genes is essential for developing malaria control strategies that may one day reduce the significance of malaria infection in the world.
Quentin Pankhurst
Professor and Deputy Director of the London Centre for Nanotechnology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, U.K.
In vivo sensing, moving and heating of magnetic nanoparticles in the human body
Prof. Pankhurst runs research programmes in bio- and nanomagnetism aimed at making practical advances in the use of magnetic nanoparticles in healthcare. These include medical imaging devices, a molecular imaging microscope for living cells, and the development of multi-functional nanoparticles fortherapy and diagnostics. Furthermore, Prof. Pankhurst is the CEO of Endomagnetics Ltd, a spin-out company which is currently running clinical trials of SentiMag™, an intra-operative device for breast cancer surgery.
Robin Hicks
Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria, Canada
You probably always wondered what single molecule magnets are - and now we will finally hear about it from one of the foremost experts in this field. Prof. Hicks' research revolves around a class of compounds known as stable radicals. He carries out innovative synthetic chemistry in rationally designing and preparing new stable radicals, studies their chemical and physical properties using a range of techniques, and exploits them as building blocks for new generations of molecular magnetic materials. In 2006, Prof. Hicks organized the 10th International Conference on Molecule-based Magnets (ICMM), the pre-eminent conference in the world for this topic.
Stefan Odenbach
Professor, Chair of Magnetofluiddynamics, Institute of Fluid Mechanics, Technical University Dresden, Germany
Prof. Odenbach has published several books about the magnetoviscous effects taking place in ferrofluids. He will give us an overview of this fascinating area and bring us up-to-date about the strange behaviour of these magnetic nanoparticle suspensions and their applications.
Sylvain Martel
Professor, Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Micro/Nanosystem Development, Fabrication and Validation, Ecole Polytechnique, NanoRobotics Laboratory, Montreal, Canada
Automatic transport of magnetic particles in the blood vessels using a clinical MRI system
Prof. Martel pioneers the development of new instrumented platforms and techniques through nanorobotics by exploiting the unique properties of molecular scale entities. His most recent invention is an approach of magnetic microparticle steering that relies on improved gradient coils for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems. Prof. Martel's results are promising for magnetic targeting applications in the human cardiovascular system.
Hans Bäumler
Professor, Head of the Research Department, Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
Red blood cells as carriers for magnetically targeted delivery of drugs
Prof. Bäumler uses red blood cells as carriers for water insoluble drugs such as amphotericin B. Furthermore, he simultaneously loads erythrocytes with magnetic nanoparticles, which can then be visualized by MRI or even be concentrated under the influence of external magnetic fields.