The scientists grew the bacteria in a mixture containing more cobalt than iron to keep it magnetized longer and be guided to tumor sites magnetically. At the site, an opposite magnetic field is applied to cause the nanoscale magnets to heat up and burn cancerous cells.
The nanomagnets can also be used to carry anti-cancer drug to cancerous tissues to destroy them.
There had been previous studies on the use of biomagnets to kill cancer cells, but their magnetic field did not last longer to do the job.
The latest research, led by Dr. Sarah Staniland with help from French scientists from Institut Laue-Lengevin in Grenoble, is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
