Closed-Loop Temperature-Controlled Magnetic Hyperthermia Therapy with Magnetic Guidance of Superparamagnetic Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles

Hyperthermia therapy eliminates cancer cells by heating them above physiological temperatures. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are promising for targeted hyperthermia therapy because of their excellent heating efficiency, biocompatibility, and active magnetic navigation. When exposed to a high-frequency alternating magnetic field (AMF), SPIONs dissipate heat to damage cancer cells. Accurate temperature control is crucial for safe and efficient hyperthermia therapy. A closed-loop temperature controller to control the temperature and heating rate by adjusting AMF’s strength, thereby enabling controllable hyperthermia therapy. Under a low-frequency rotating magnetic field (RMF), the SPIONs form chains which can be actively manipulated towards the target by adjusting RMF’s direction, followed by AMF exposure for hyperthermia therapy. The SPIONs are precisely manipulated in a microfluidic chip and rat brain vessels ex vivo, highlighting the potential for targeted position control. Last, in vitro, and in vivo hyperthermia treatments are performed on human prostate cancer cells (PC3) and a PC3 xenograft mouse model using the proposed temperature controller, with tracking errors under 0.5°C and significant reduction in cancer cell viability and tumor volume. The magnetic locomotion with RMF, and the controlled heating using AMF, show the feasibility of using SPIONs for targeted hyperthermia therapy.