ENRICHMENT AND BIODISTRIBUTION OF A MAGNETICALLY TARGETED DRUG CARRIER

INTRODUCTION: Biocompatible ferrofluids are superparamagnetic nanoparticles, that may be used as a delivery system for anticancer agents in locoregional tumor therapy, called “magnetic drug targeting.” Through this form of target directed drug application, one attempts to concentrate a pharmacological agent at its site of action in order to minimize unwanted side effects in the organism and to increase its loco-regional effectiveness [1]. Ferrofluids have been used in medicine since the 1960’s for magnetically controlled metallic thrombosis of intracranial aneurysms [2] and magnetically guided selective embolization of the renal artery in case of a renal tumor [3], for example. Ferrofluids have also been used as a contrast agent for MRI in the diagnostic evaluation of liver and spleen tumors [4]. Furthermore ferrofluids have been used for a specific cell separation method called “immuno-magnetic cell separation” for the early detection of cancer [5], and have also been an important subject in the development of an implantable artificial heart [6].