These magnetic particles, known as
magnetosomes, help bacteria orient themselves and find their preferred environments.
Staniland, "
Magnetosomes: bacterial biosynthesis of magnetic nanoparticles and potential biomedical applications," in Nanotechnologies for the Life Sciences, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co.
Recently, researchers have devoted their attention to a class of iron oxide MNPs naturally produced by magnetotactic bacteria, named
magnetosomes (MNs) [13-15].
Using a powerful magnetic field, the same as in the MRI technique (magnetic resonance imaging), it would be possible to direct bacteria containing
magnetosomes to the site of the tumor.
Skumiel et al., "Energy losses in mechanically modified bacterial
magnetosomes," Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, vol.
Due to versatile intrinsic properties, MNPs including
magnetosomes have promoted challenging innovations in biomedical application through their interplay with various magnetic fields.
Having
magnetosomes (organelles which contain magnetite crystals surrounded by membrane), which are organized into chains and help to orient in geomagnetic field, is also typical of them [18].
Migratory birds, insects, protists and magneto-tactics bacteria have plenty identified biophysical mechanisms of magneto-perception, as
magnetosomes, paramagnetic nanoparticles and some pigments (Galland & Pazur, 2005; Lohman & Johnsen, 2000).
A characteristic of all MTB is the presence of
magnetosomes in them.