Magnetic nanoparticles for magnetic drug targeting

Nanomedicine and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are thought to have an important impact on medicine in the future. Especially in cancer therapy, SPIONs offer the opportunity of improving the effectivity of the treatment and reduce side effects by magnetic accumulation of SPION-bound chemotherapeutics in the tumor area. Although still some challenges have to be overcome, before the new treatment concept of magnetic drug targeting will reach the patients, substantial progress has been made, and promising results were shown in the last years.