One day, magnets may be used to pull genes within the body for therapeutic purposes, a Swiss scientist has claimed. According to an idea that has been tested on sheep, magnets will attract iron oxide nanoparticles that stick to genes. By moving the magnet, the genes will be drawn along with it.
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The plan is to use magnets to attract iron ions attached to genes. (Image: iStockphoto) |
However, Professor Heinrich Hofmann from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, the author of the research, stated that more safety testing is needed before this technology can be applied to humans.
Gene therapies have long faced numerous challenges, including the lack of a safe and effective carrier to deliver therapeutic genes into cells. The traditional carrier has been viruses, which can mutate and potentially alter the DNA within cells.
Hofmann noted that his iron oxide nanoparticles are safer than viruses. “Iron ions are much less dangerous than a virus,” he said.
He also mentioned that controlling the nanoparticles would be more precise than controlling viruses, as they can be pulled into the desired position using a magnet.
In a recent experiment, Hofmann injected nanoparticles attached to a gene that encodes for green fluorescence into a sheep’s joint, then used a magnet to pull the gene into place. The sheep’s cells produced green fluorescent proteins, demonstrating the success of the experiment.
In other applications, Hofmann is using magnets and iron oxide particles to stimulate the growth of bone stem cells.
T. An
