Therapeutic applications of magnetic nanoparticles: recent advances

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) show tremendous possibilities in the field of biomedicine, especially as therapeutic agents for use over a prolonged duration. Most notably, magnetic nanoparticles are widely used in magnetic hyperthermia, targeted drug delivery, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy and magnetofection for the treatment of cancer. The background of these applications relies mainly on interaction of the MNPs with an applied magnetic field, as well as light. The characteristics of the particles, such as size, crystal structure, shape, optical absorption, surface chemistry, magnetization and toxicity, have become important for building nanoparticles intended for various therapeutic applications. In this review advances in therapeutic MNPs for the field of biomedicine are highlighted, with a primary focus on synthetic methods, magnetic properties, therapeutic applications, challenges and future outlook.