Uploaded May 2014 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
Andrew Duesterhus (ajd6xe)
Justin Peruzzi (jap2ba)
Claire Trivisonno (cet6ax)
Hannah Woodruff (hcw4dn)
Disease Treatment and Drug Delivery: Ferrofluids
While there are currently many treatments for diseases such as cancer, many methods of such treatments are limited and constricted due to both their inability to reach the affected region and their cause of unwanted side effects. Modern drugs that are used to kill tumors in cancer treatment, for example, can sometimes be effective in treating these diseases, but they are limited by the volume, size, and surface area of the drug particles used. These drugs may also have unintended negative side effects on healthy parts of the body due to their indirect path to the diseased area. Nanomaterials such as ferrofluids could be used for improved disease treatment and drug delivery. Ferrofluids are fluids containing superparamagnetic nanoparticles in a colloidal suspension. Superparamagnetic particles are not attracted to one another, but will align when a magnetic field is applied. Due to their superparamagnetic properties, ferrofluids could be used to direct drugs to a specific area of the body in order to treat a given disease. Since they are so small, ferrofluids could reach certain diseased areas of the body that would be inaccessible by any other means. Because these liquids are being directly targeted towards specific sites in the body, healthy parts of the body would remain unaffected by these types of medicines. This would eliminate unpleasant side effects that often occur in treatments such as chemotherapy and various other medicinal therapies. Nanoparticles also have more surface area than other materials. If these ferrofluid nanoparticles were attached to drug particles, it would increase the number of reactions that occur between the drug and the affected area of the body. Therefore, drugs attached to ferrofluids could be taken in smaller dosages and still have the same efficiency. Patients suffering from Alzheimer's, ALS, Parkinson's, various forms of cancer, and many more diseases could all benefit from the use of ferrofluids in nanomedicine treatments. In our video, we will explore the current research being done with ferrofluids in a medical setting and the challenges scientists must overcome in order to put ferrofluids into use in the real world.
Andrew Duesterhus (ajd6xe)
Justin Peruzzi (jap2ba)
Claire Trivisonno (cet6ax)
Hannah Woodruff (hcw4dn)
Disease Treatment and Drug Delivery: Ferrofluids
While there are currently many treatments for diseases such as cancer, many methods of such treatments are limited and constricted due to both their inability to reach the affected region and their cause of unwanted side effects. Modern drugs that are used to kill tumors in cancer treatment, for example, can sometimes be effective in treating these diseases, but they are limited by the volume, size, and surface area of the drug particles used. These drugs may also have unintended negative side effects on healthy parts of the body due to their indirect path to the diseased area. Nanomaterials such as ferrofluids could be used for improved disease treatment and drug delivery. Ferrofluids are fluids containing superparamagnetic nanoparticles in a colloidal suspension. Superparamagnetic particles are not attracted to one another, but will align when a magnetic field is applied. Due to their superparamagnetic properties, ferrofluids could be used to direct drugs to a specific area of the body in order to treat a given disease. Since they are so small, ferrofluids could reach certain diseased areas of the body that would be inaccessible by any other means. Because these liquids are being directly targeted towards specific sites in the body, healthy parts of the body would remain unaffected by these types of medicines. This would eliminate unpleasant side effects that often occur in treatments such as chemotherapy and various other medicinal therapies. Nanoparticles also have more surface area than other materials. If these ferrofluid nanoparticles were attached to drug particles, it would increase the number of reactions that occur between the drug and the affected area of the body. Therefore, drugs attached to ferrofluids could be taken in smaller dosages and still have the same efficiency. Patients suffering from Alzheimer's, ALS, Parkinson's, various forms of cancer, and many more diseases could all benefit from the use of ferrofluids in nanomedicine treatments. In our video, we will explore the current research being done with ferrofluids in a medical setting and the challenges scientists must overcome in order to put ferrofluids into use in the real world.
