What if docs might information life-saving remedies by way of the physique utilizing nothing however a magnet?
An interdisciplinary crew on the College of Pittsburgh’s Swanson College of Engineering is working to make that concept a actuality. They’ve developed silk iron microparticles (SIMPs)—tiny, magnetic, biodegradable carriers designed to ship medicine and coverings on to particular websites within the physique, equivalent to aneurysms or tumors.
The hassle is led by Pitt alumna Ande Marini (BioE PhD ‘25), now a postdoctoral scholar in cardiothoracic surgical procedure at Stanford College, alongside David Vorp, John A. Swanson Professor of Bioengineering, and Justin Weinbaum, analysis assistant professor of bioengineering.
Their findings, titled “Chemical Conjugation of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for the Growth of Magnetically Directable Silk Particles” (DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c17536), have been revealed within the February version of ACS Utilized Supplies & Interfaces.
Marini and her colleagues have been motivated by their lab’s ongoing work to enhance remedy choices for belly aortic aneurysms (AAA), a situation that may be deadly if left untreated and contributes to just about 10,000 deaths yearly.
Their strategy focuses on noninvasive, early-stage supply of regenerative therapies utilizing extracellular vesicles—small, membrane-bound capsules that assist cells talk.
We need to discover a approach to ship extracellular vesicles to the location of an belly aortic aneurysm within the least invasive approach potential. We envisioned that we might inject extracellular vesicles onto a service after which by some means information the service to the surface of the aortic wall, so we got here up with the thought of utilizing magnetic attraction.
David A. Vorp, Division of Bioengineering, College of Pittsburgh
To convey that concept to life, the crew partnered with Mostafa Bedewy, affiliate professor of mechanical engineering and supplies science on the Swanson College, and his former Ph.D. pupil, Golnaz Tomaraei (IE PhD ‘23).
Their experience in nanomaterials and fabrication was important in producing the magnetic nanoparticles, every simply one-hundred-thousandth the width of a human hair. At that scale, supplies behave in another way, taking up properties like magnetic responsiveness.
Our position was to synthesize magnetic nanoparticles with the correct properties and bond them to the silk so they might keep hooked up throughout motion. You may consider it like towing cargo we created the particles to hold medicine, and the nanoparticles are the tow hook.
Mostafa Bedewy, Division of Mechanical Engineering and Supplies Science, College of Pittsburgh
Whereas magnetically guideable supplies have been utilized in medical functions earlier than, what units this work aside is the chemical bonding of the magnetic particles to silk—a biocompatible materials already permitted by the FDA—utilizing the compound glutathione.
We bridged biomaterials and chemical conjugation to create particles that could possibly be magnetically guided. By chemically bonding iron oxide nanoparticles to the regenerated silk fibroin, we enhanced their magnetic movability so we will doubtlessly localize them externally to a web site of curiosity within the physique.
Ande X. Marini, Division of Bioengineering, College of Pittsburgh
This breakthrough opens up a variety of future prospects, from focused most cancers remedies to regenerative therapies for heart problems. The instant subsequent step shall be loading these carriers with therapeutic brokers.
Marini stated, “With this paper, we’re displaying that we will create an empty service that may be magnetically moved. The following step is determining what sort of cargo we will load, regenerative elements, medicine, or different supplies individuals need to magnetically localize. Whether or not it’s delivering most cancers medicine with fewer unwanted effects or slowing down tissue degradation in aneurysms, this know-how has broad potential for regenerative drugs.”
For Bedewy’s crew, this additionally means persevering with to refine the molecular construction of the particles and optimizing how they launch their cargo over time.
Bedewy stated, “We try to create a toolbox of remedies, and in supplies science, there’s a variety of room for making extra instruments that may be helpful for medical docs and bioengineers to assist create alternative ways of resolving issues within the physique. That is an thrilling venture the place individuals with very totally different units of experience got here collectively to unravel an issue and produce an end result that would doubtlessly have an immense influence on human lives.”
Journal Reference:
Marini, A. X., et al. (2025) Chemical Conjugation of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for the Growth of Magnetically Directable Silk Particles. ACS Utilized Supplies & Interfaces. doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c17536.
