Polymer-based drug delivery vehicles embedded with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) generate heat when exposed to high frequency magnetic field, and provide a dual therapy consisting of drug delivery and temperature rise for cancer therapy. To treat cancer effectively, factors such as magnetic field strength, field frequency, MNP size and size distribution, and the viscosity of the medium were optimized to maximize the heating efficiency of MNPs.  Heating efficiency was quantified for these MNPs by calculating specific absorption rates (SAR, W/g) from experimental data, and compared to the calculated SAR based on magnetic heating theories. MNPs with high SAR were then embedded in the core of nano-scale poly(ethylene glycol-b-caprolactone) micelles, along with rhodamine B fluorescent dye to monitor local nanoparticle temperature during magnetic heating. However, no significant temperature difference was observed in vicinity of nanoparticles, as compared to the bulk solution temperature. MNPs were also incorporated in macro-scale agar gel discs to simulate a tumor containing MNPs and test the efficiency of magnetic hyperthermia. A large temperature rise was observed in this case suggesting that nanoparticles can collectively generate sufficient heat to kill tumor of a sufficient size by magnetic hyperthermia.<br/>

Optimizing magnetic heating and elucidating local nanoparticle temperature profiles for application in an agar gel-based tumor model

251st National Meeting (2016)

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