UCL: Method for targeting stem cells with magnets

Research lead

Scientists at University College London, UK, have used magnetic nanoparticles to deliver stem cells to sites of cardiovascular injury.

Using rats, endothelial progenitor cells, which are involved vascular healing processes, were magnetically tagged with an iron-containing clinical agent, and then successfully targeted to a site of arterial injury using a magnet positioned outside the body.

Following magnetic targeting, there was a five-fold increase in cell localisation at a site of vascular injury in rats. The localisation effect has also been demonstrated in vitro.

Although magnetic fields have been used to guide cellular therapies, this is the first time cells have been targeted using a method directly applicable to clinical practice. The technique uses an approved agent that is already in use to monitor cells in humans using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). 

Mark Lythgoe, of the UCL Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging said, “Because the material we used in this method is already […]  approved we could see this technology being applied in human clinical trials within 3 to 5 years.”

“It’s feasible that heart attacks and other vascular injuries could eventually be treated using regular injections of magnetised stem cells. The technology could be adapted to localise cells in other organs and provide a useful tool for the systemic injection of all manner of cell therapies. And it’s not just limited to cells; by focusing tagged antibodies or viruses using this method, cancerous tumours could be much more specifically targeted.”

Researcher Panagiotis Kyrtatos said the work tackles the problem of ensuring the effective delivery and retention of cellular therapies to specific targets within the body. “Cell therapies could greatly benefit from nano-magnetic techniques which concentrate cells where they are needed most. The nano-magnets not only assist with the targeting, but with the aid of MRI also allow us to observe how the cells behave once they’re injected.”