Article Summary 8: Using Magnetism To Turn Drugs On And Off

Using Magnetism To Turn Drugs On And Off. Science Daily [Internet]. 2009 Sept 18 [cited 2009 Sept 20]. Available from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918100021.htm

Many health conditions like pain management require medications that cannot be taken daily by mouth. On the contrary, these medications must be prescribed intermittently as the patient needs them. Several delivery mechanisms currently exist to turn drugs on and off in the body. Examples include using a heat source or electronic chip that has been implanted in a patient’s body. Unfortunately, none of the existing methods is 100 percent reliable.

Combining nanotechnology with magnetism, researchers at the Children’s Hospital in Boston may have found a new method that proves to be much more dependable than existing techniques. Instead of planting electronics into the body, the new procedure implants a special type of container that holds the drug that the patient requires, and releases it on demand.

Measuring less than a half an inch, this container has a membrane embedded with nanoparticles that encapsulates the drug. The nanoparticles are made up of magnetite, a mineral that naturally has magnetic properties. When a magnetic field is created outside the body near the implanted device, the nanoparticles within the membrane heat up and cause the pores in the membrane to temporarily open so that the drug can be released into the body. When the magnetic force is turned off, the membranes cool and the pores close again, stopping further delivery of the drug.

This new invention is currently undergoing testing and is not yet available for use in humans. Yet its technology holds the promise of providing on-demand drug delivery in a long-term way with exact dosages.