Platform for Image-Guided Noninvasive Brain Delivery of Magnetic Particles: Concept and Technical Progress

We present an innovative combined imaging/manipulation platform to administer, drive, and concentrate nimble magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) into a desired target in the brain. MNPs may carry useful payloads, such as agents for chemotherapy, genetic therapy, or radiation therapy. Imaging is provided by a novel head-dedicated magnetic resonance imaging system that uses ultrasteep and ultrafast magnetic field gradients that provide not only high-resolution images but also the required forces for MNP manipulation. The platform will allow new clinical procedures to apply minimally invasive treatment in difficult scenarios. Nonsurgical delivery of MNPs, as envisioned with the new system, would be expected to reduce the nonnegligible risks associated with surgical placement of MNPs. An important application of the new platform is the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). High-grade gliomas comprise a group of incurable and devastating rare diseases, with a very poor outcome, despite recent therapeutic efforts in surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Possibly, no single step will cure the disease, but the image-guided interventions envisaged by the new platform will have great impact on survival and quality of life of GBM patients. This method is especially interesting for patients who might otherwise be considered poor candidates for curative surgical tumor resection. This technology represents a more efficient therapy with fewer side-effects through the development of a formulation combining chemotherapy or gene therapy and thermotherapy, which is activated only at the target.