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Magnetic nanoparticle drug carriers continue to attract considerable interest for drug targeting in the treatment of cancers and other pathological conditions. The efficient delivery of therapeutic levels of drug to a target site while limiting nonspecific, systemic toxicity requires optimization of the drug delivery materials, the applied magnetic field, and the treatment protocol. The history and current state of magnetic drug targeting is reviewed. While initial studies involved micron-sized and larger carriers, and work with these microcarriers continues, it is the sub-micron carriers or nanocarriers that are of increasing interest. An aspect of magnetic drug targeting using nanoparticle carriers that has not been considered is then addressed. This aspect involves the variation in the magnetic properties of the nanocarriers. Quadrupole magnetic field-flow fractionation (QMgFFF) is a relatively new technique for characterizing magnetic nanoparticles. It is unique in its capability of determining the distribution in magnetic properties of a nanoparticle sample in suspension. The development and current state of this technique is also reviewed. Magnetic nanoparticle drug carriers have been found by QMgFFF analysis to be highly polydisperse in their magnetic properties, and the strength of response of the particles to magnetic field gradients is predicted to vary by orders of magnitude. It is expected that the least magnetic fraction of a formulation will contribute the most to systemic toxicity, and the depletion of this fraction will result in a more effective drug carrying material. A material that has a reduced systemic toxicity will allow higher doses of cytotoxic drugs to be delivered to the tumor with reduced side effects. Preliminary experiments involving a novel method of refining a magnetic nanoparticle drug carrier to achieve this result are described. QMgFFF is used to characterize the refined and unrefined material.

The need for innovative separative techniques suitable for the fractionation of biomaterials prompted this investigation into the performance of the gravitational split-flow thin channel (G-SPLITT) system as a cell sorter. The rigorous mathematical description of the separation mechanism allows achievement of fast separation of several million myeloma cells from healthy splenocytes using flow conditions calculated from theory. Separation in G-SPLITT is based on differences in sedimentation rate. For accurate prediction of the optimal working conditions, this parameter was directly measured by cell tracking velocimetry rather than relying on a measure of diameter (by Multisizer) and an assumed density for each cell population. We also discuss the influence of different flow conditions on the effectiveness of separation.

Quadrupole magnetic field-flow fractionation is a relatively new technique for the separation and characterization of magnetic nanoparticles. Magnetic nanoparticles are often of composite nature having a magnetic component, which may be a very finely divided material, and a polymeric or other material coating that incorporates this magnetic material and stabilizes the particles in suspension. There may be other components such as antibodies on the surface for specific binding to biological cells, or chemotherapeutic drugs for magnetic drug delivery. Magnetic field-flow fractionation (MgFFF) has the potential for determining the distribution of the magnetic material among the particles in a given sample. MgFFF differs from most other forms of field-flow fractionation in that the magnetic field that brings about particle separation induces magnetic dipole moments in the nanoparticles, and these potentially can interact with one another and perturb the separation. This aspect is examined in the present work. Samples of magnetic nanoparticles were analysed under different experimental conditions to determine the sensitivity of the method to variation of conditions. The results are shown to be consistent and insensitive to conditions, although magnetite content appeared to be somewhat higher than expected.

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