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IEEE Magnetics Society
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Wednesday, September 10th, 2014
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Scientists working in the field
of magnetic materials are increasingly focusing their attention on new
applications of magnetic detection and magnetic transduction techniques in
the biomedical sciences. Iron is a key functional element in the human body and
surpasses all other naturally occurring elements in the body in terms of both
the variety and magnitudes of its magnetic states. In many diseases, the
quantity and the magnetic state of iron are altered by the disease. Hence,
detecting and measuring the magnetic properties of the iron in vivo or in
samples of body fluids can give insights into the state of health of a human
subject. Example applications include assessing the risk of organ damage in
hereditary hemochromatosis [1], determining the dose of iron chelator drugs required for patients with thalassemia
[2], and identifying infectious forms of the malarial parasite in
finger-prick blood samples [3]. Scientists are also working on the
development of synthetic magnetic particles that can be injected into the
human body for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The particles used are
generally in the size range of 10 to 100 nm. They can be used to enhance the
contrast in magnetic resonance images to help identify tumors in tissue [4],
to act as local heat sources to treat cancer [5], and to carry, concentrate,
and release drugs more specifically than drugs without a magnetic carrier
[6]. In this presentation, the physical and chemical principles behind these
biomedical applications and their impact on medicine will presented at a
level suitable for a generalist audience. [1] Olynyk,
J.K., et al., Duration of Hepatic Iron Exposure Increases the Risk of
Significant Fibrosis in Hereditary Hemochromatosis: A New Role for Magnetic
Resonance Imaging. Am J Gastroenterology, 2005.
100(4): p. 837-841. [2] Taher,
A., et al., Deferasirox significantly reduces iron
overload in non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia: 1-year results from a
prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Blood, 2012. [3] Karl, S., et al., Plasmodium Falciparum And
Plasmodium Vivax Gametocyte Clearance In Melanesian
Children Determined By Magnetic Fractionation Illustrates Species-Specific
Differences In Malaria Transmission. American Journal of Hematology, 2013.
88(5): p. E117-E117. [4] Sun, C., J.S.H. Lee, and M.
Zhang, Magnetic nanoparticles in MR imaging and drug delivery. Advanced Drug
Delivery Reviews, 2008. 60(11): p. 1252-1265. [5] Maier-Hauff,
K., et al., Efficacy and safety of intratumoral
thermotherapy using magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles combined with external
beam radiotherapy on patients with recurrent glioblastoma
multiforme. Journal of Neuro-Oncology,
2011. 103(2): p. 317-324. [6] Mejías, R., et al., Dimercaptosuccinic acid-coated magnetite nanoparticles for magnetically guided in vivo delivery of interferon gamma for cancer immunotherapy. Biomaterials, 2011. 32(11): p. 2938-2952 Biography Professor Tim St Pierre heads the BioMagnetics
Research Group in the School of Physics at The University of Western
Australia, Perth, Australia. He trained at the University of Liverpool, UK,
gaining a BSc with Honours in 1983 and a PhD in
1986. Following postdoctoral positions at Murdoch University in Western
Australia, he was appointed to the faculty at The University of Western
Australia in 1995. Professor St Pierre’s main scientific interests are in the
application of physics to medicine and biotechnology. His research focuses on
applications of magnetic measurement and characterization techniques for the
non-invasive characterization of iron in biological systems. He and his team developed
the non-invasive liver iron measurement technology, FerriScan®,
which has been commercialised and used in over
20,000 patient measurements in hospitals around the world. He is currently
working on magnetic methods for detection of parasites in human blood and
fecal matter. He has published over 150 peer reviewed papers in the fields of
iron and magnetism in biology, biotechnology, and medicine in journals such
as Blood, Circulation, Magnetic Resonance in
Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. In 2010 he won a Clunies Ross Award from the Australian Academy of
Technological Sciences and Engineering for his work on non-invasive
measurement of tissue iron deposits. |
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