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Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Fabrication of Magnetic Platforms for Micron-Scale Organization of Interconnected Neurons
Published on: July 14, 2021
Magnetogenetic control of protein gradients inside living cells with high spatial and temporal resolution
Fred Etoc1, Chiara Vicario1, Domenik Lisse1,2
1†Laboratoire Physico-Chimie, Institut Curie, CNRS UMR168, Paris-Science Lettres, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Tools for controlling the spatial organization of proteins are a major prerequisite for deciphering mechanisms governing the dynamic architecture of living cells. Here, we have developed a generic approach for inducing and maintaining protein gradients inside living cells by means of biofunctionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). For this purpose, we tailored the size and surface properties of MNPs in order to ensure unhindered mobility in the cytosol. These MNPs with a core diameter below 50 nm could be rapidly relocalized in living cells by exploiting biased diffusion at weak magnetic forces in the femto-Newton range. In combination with MNP surface functionalization for specific in situ capturing of target proteins as well as efficient delivery into the cytosplasm, we here present a comprehensive technology for controlling intracellular protein gradients with a temporal resolution of a few tens of seconds.
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