Magnetic nanoparticles as new diagnostic tools in medicine

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have raised much interest during the recent years due to their novel properties (superparamagnetism, high saturation field, blocking temperature, etc.) and potential applications in organic synthesis, biotechnology and finally in medicine. The medicinal applications include: controlled drug delivery systems (DDS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH), macromolecules and pathogens separation, cancer therapy and so on. In this paper we would like to present the newest literature reports concerning usage of MNPs in medicinal diagnostics such as: - magnetic separations of DNA (immobilization, isolation, diagnosis of genetic disorders and detection of exogenous substances in the organisms) - magnetic immobilization of proteins (applications in biotechnology, medicine, and catalysis) - magnetic separations of pathogens (i.e. isolation of bacteria, detection of various pathogens) - magnetic resonance imaging (imaging contrast agents, lymphangiography).