Biomedical applications of high gradient magnetic separation: progress towards therapeutic haeomofiltration.

High gradient magnetic separation is a well-established technology in the mineral processing industry, and has been used for decades in the bioprocessing industry. Less well known is the increasing role that high gradient magnetic separation is playing in biomedical applications, for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. We review here the state of the art in this emerging field, with a focus on therapeutic haemofiltration, the key enabling technologies relating to the functionalisation of magnetic nanoparticles with target-specific binding agents, and the development of extra-corporeal circuits to enable the in situ filtering of human blood.

Magnetic force-based tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Among other biomedical applications, magnetic nanoparticles and liposomes have a vast field of applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Magnetic nanoparticles and liposomes, when introduced into cells to be cultured, maneuver the cell's positioning by the appropriate use of magnets to create more complex tissue structures than those that are achieved by conventional culture methods.

Remote control of cellular behaviour with magnetic nanoparticles.

By binding magnetic nanoparticles to the surface of cells, it is possible to manipulate and control cell function with an external magnetic field. The technique of activating cells with magnetic nanoparticles offers a means to isolate and explore cellular mechanics and ion channel activation to gain better understanding of these processes. Here, we go beyond using this technique as an investigative tool and focus on its potential to actively control cellular functions and processes with an eye towards biological and clinical applications. In particular, we focus on applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.