Academic Journal
Genetically engineered bacterial magnetosomes as optimized tracers for magnetic particle imaging.
| Τίτλος: | Genetically engineered bacterial magnetosomes as optimized tracers for magnetic particle imaging. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Thieben F; Section for Biomedical Imaging, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Institute for Biomedical Imaging, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany; Fraunhofer IMTE, Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized Medical Technology and Engineering, Lübeck, Germany., Mickoleit F; Department of Microbiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany., Uebe R; Department of Microbiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany., Tessaro S; Department of Microbiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany., Dziuba MV; Department of Microbiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany., Rández-Garbayo J; Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany., Magnus T; Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany., Ahlborg M; Fraunhofer IMTE, Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized Medical Technology and Engineering, Lübeck, Germany., Ackers J; Fraunhofer IMTE, Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized Medical Technology and Engineering, Lübeck, Germany., Ludewig P; Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: p.ludewig@uke.de., Schüler D; Department of Microbiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany. Electronic address: dirk.schueler@uni-bayreuth.de., Knopp T; Section for Biomedical Imaging, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Institute for Biomedical Imaging, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany; Fraunhofer IMTE, Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized Medical Technology and Engineering, Lübeck, Germany. Electronic address: t.knopp@uke.de. |
| Πηγή: | Acta biomaterialia [Acta Biomater] 2026 Jul; Vol. 218, pp. 474-486. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 29. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101233144 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1878-7568 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17427061 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Acta Biomater Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Kidlington, Oxford, UK : Elsevier, c2004- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Magnetosomes*/chemistry , Magnetosomes*/genetics , Magnetosomes*/metabolism , Magnetosomes*/ultrastructure , Magnetospirillum*/genetics , Magnetospirillum*/metabolism , Magnetic Particle Imaging*/methods , Magnetite Nanoparticles*/chemistry , Genetic Engineering* |
| Περίληψη: | Medical imaging relies on tracer materials to enable accurate visualization and diagnosis of diseases. Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is an innovative tomographic modality that offers exceptional sensitivity and temporal resolution. These characteristics make MPI particularly promising for clinical applications such as real-time vascular and perfusion imaging, tumor detection, and intraoperative guidance. However, MPI performance has so far been limited by the quality of available tracers, as conventional chemical synthesis provides only restricted control over the size, shape, and magnetic properties of iron oxide nanoparticles. Biogenic magnetic nanoparticles, so-called magnetosomes, produced by magnetotactic bacteria, represent a compelling alternative. Magnetosome biosynthesis is fully genetically encoded, enabling the natural formation of magnetite nanoparticles with uniform size and morphology, which is difficult to achieve through chemical synthesis. Moreover, genetic engineering of the bacterial production host allows precise tuning of particle characteristics, including size, shape, and magnetic behavior, to meet specific application requirements. In this study, magnetosomes isolated from different Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense mutant strains, each biomineralizing particles with distinct core diameters, were systematically evaluated as potential MPI tracers. Magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS) was used to identify the most promising candidates based on their signal properties. These tracers were subsequently subjected to detailed signal analyses and phantom experiments to directly compare their imaging performance. Our findings demonstrate that genetically tailored magnetosomes can substantially improve MPI signal quality, underscoring their potential as next-generation tracers. This work provides a foundation for the rational design of optimized biogenic nanoparticles to advance preclinical and future clinical MPI applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a novel imaging technology with high sensitivity and real-time capabilities, making it highly promising for clinical applications such as blood flow monitoring and tumor detection. The performance of MPI strongly depends on the properties of the tracer materials used. However, producing high-quality tracers through conventional chemical synthesis remains challenging. In this study, we introduce an innovative biological approach by using genetically engineered magnetotactic bacteria to produce uniform magnetic nanoparticles, so-called magnetosomes. This strategy allows precise control of particle size, shape, and magnetic properties, resulting in tracers with superior performance. Our findings pave the way for the development of next-generation MPI tracers, advancing both fundamental research and potential clinical translation. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Genetic engineering; Iron oxide nanoparticles; Magnetic Particle Imaging; Magnetosomes; Tracer |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Magnetite Nanoparticles) |
| SCR Organism: | Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260530 Date Completed: 20260629 Latest Revision: 20260629 |
| Update Code: | 20260630 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.actbio.2026.05.048 |
| PMID: | 42217657 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1878-7568 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.actbio.2026.05.048 |