Externally Induced Drug Release Systems with Magnetic Nanoparticle Carriers: An Emerging Field in Nanomedicine

Core-shell nanoparticles that exhibit superparamagnetic properties and stability as colloidal suspensions have been widely employed for medical imaging, diagnosis, and targeted drug delivery. These materials are engineered for spatial guidance using an external magnetic field and are capable of transporting therapeutic payloads such as clinical drugs and protein structures. They can be tagged with fluorescent dyes and quantum dots as spectroscopic markers; and can generate an acute influx of heat when exposed to an alternating magnetic field. When these functions are used in combination, core-shell nanoparticles can operate in a multimodal fashion, on demand, using external and non-invasive stimuli. In this short review, selected examples of externally induced drug release systems with magnetic nanoparticle carriers are highlighted. This new and emerging field of nanomedicine has enormous potential to advance our therapeutic capabilities with a central concept of targeting, locating, and detonating diseased and cancerous tissues in vivo with precise ex vivo control.