Quentin A. Pankhurst

Bio: Quentin A. Pankhurst is an academic researcher from University College London. The author has contributed to research in topics: Magnetization & Magnetic nanoparticles. The author has an hindex of 37, co-authored 197 publications receiving 11772 citations. Previous affiliations of Quentin A. Pankhurst include London Centre for Nanotechnology & University of Liverpool.

Progress in applications of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedicine

Abstract: A progress report is presented on a selection of scientific, technological and commercial advances in the biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles since 2003. Particular attention is paid to (i) magnetic actuation for in vitro non-viral transfection and tissue engineering and in vivo drug delivery and gene therapy, (ii) recent clinical results for magnetic hyperthermia treatments of brain and prostate cancer via direct injection, and continuing efforts to develop new agents suitable for targeted hyperthermia following intravenous injection and (iii) developments in medical sensing technologies involving a new generation of magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, and the invention of magnetic particle imaging as a new modality. Ongoing prospects are also discussed.

On the reliable measurement of specific absorption rates and intrinsic loss parameters in magnetic hyperthermia materials

Abstract: In the clinical application of magnetic hyperthermia, the heat generated by magnetic nanoparticles in an alternating magnetic �耀eld is used as a cancer treatment. The heating ability of the particles is quanti�耀ed by the speci�耀c absorption rate (SAR), an extrinsic parameter based on the clinical response characteristic of power delivered per unit mass, and by the intrinsic loss parameter (ILP), an intrinsic parameter based on the heating capacity of the material. Even though both the SAR and ILP are widely used as comparative design parameters, they are almost always measured in non-adiabatic systems that make accurate measurements dif�耀cult. We present here the results of a systematic review of measurement methods for both SAR and ILP, leading to recommendations for a standardised, simple and reliable method for measurements using non-adiabatic systems. In a representative survey of 50 retrieved datasets taken from published papers, the derived SAR or ILP was found to be more than 5% overestimated in 24% of cases and more than 5% underestimated in 52% of cases.

High performance multi-core iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia: microwave synthesis, and the role of core-to-core interactions

Abstract: The adoption of magnetic hyperthermia as either a stand-alone or adjunct therapy for cancer is still far from being optimised due to the variable performance found in many iron oxide nanoparticle systems, including commercially available formulations. Herein, we present a reproducible and potentially scalable microwave-based method to make stable citric acid coated multi-core iron oxide nanoparticles, with exceptional magnetic heating parameters, viz. intrinsic loss parameters (ILPs) of up to 4.1 nH m2 kg−1, 35% better than the best commercial equivalents. We also probe the core-to-core magnetic interactions in the particles via remanence-derived Henkel and ΔM plots. These reveal a monotonic dependence of the ILP on the magnetic interaction field Hint, and show that the interactions are demagnetising in nature, and act to hinder the magnetic heating mechanism.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

Gold nanoparticles: assembly, supramolecular chemistry, quantum-size-related properties, and applications toward biology, catalysis, and nanotechnology.

Abstract: Although gold is the subject of one of the most ancient themes of investigation in science, its renaissance now leads to an exponentially increasing number of publications, especially in the context of emerging nanoscience and nanotechnology with nanoparticles and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). We will limit the present review to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), also called gold colloids. AuNPs are the most stable metal nanoparticles, and they present fascinating aspects such as their assembly of multiple types involving materials science, the behavior of the individual particles, size-related electronic, magnetic and optical properties (quantum size effect), and their applications to catalysis and biology. Their promises are in these fields as well as in the bottom-up approach of nanotechnology, and they will be key materials and building block in the 21st century. Whereas the extraction of gold started in the 5th millennium B.C. near Varna (Bulgaria) and reached 10 tons per year in Egypt around 1200-1300 B.C. when the marvelous statue of Touthankamon was constructed, it is probable that “soluble” gold appeared around the 5th or 4th century B.C. in Egypt and China. In antiquity, materials were used in an ecological sense for both aesthetic and curative purposes. Colloidal gold was used to make ruby glass 293 Chem. Rev. 2004, 104, 293−346

Nanotoxicology: An Emerging Discipline Evolving from Studies of Ultrafine Particles

Abstract: Although humans have been exposed to airborne nanosized particles (NSPs; < 100 nm) throughout their evolutionary stages, such exposure has increased dramatically over the last century due to anthropogenic sources. The rapidly developing field of nanotechnology is likely to become yet another source through inhalation, ingestion, skin uptake, and injection of engineered nanomaterials. Information about safety and potential hazards is urgently needed. Results of older bio-kinetic studies with NSPs and newer epidemiologic and toxicologic studies with airborne ultrafine particles can be viewed as the basis for the expanding field of nanotoxicology, which can be defined as safety evaluation of engineered nanostructures and nanodevices. Collectively, some emerging concepts of nanotoxicology can be identified from the results of these studies. When inhaled, specific sizes of NSPs are efficiently deposited by diffusional mechanisms in all regions of the respiratory tract. The small size facilitates uptake into cells and transcytosis across epithelial and endothelial cells into the blood and lymph circulation to reach potentially sensitive target sites such as bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, and heart. Access to the central nervous system and ganglia via translocation along axons and dendrites of neurons has also been observed. NSPs penetrating the skin distribute via uptake into lymphatic channels. Endocytosis and biokinetics are largely dependent on NSP surface chemistry (coating) and in vivo surface modifications. The greater surface area per mass compared with larger-sized particles of the same chemistry renders NSPs more active biologically. This activity includes a potential for inflammatory and pro-oxidant, but also antioxidant, activity, which can explain early findings showing mixed results in terms of toxicity of NSPs to environmentally relevant species. Evidence of mitochondrial distribution and oxidative stress response after NSP endocytosis points to a need for basic research on their interactions with subcellular structures. Additional considerations for assessing safety of engineered NSPs include careful selections of appropriate and relevant doses/concentrations, the likelihood of increased effects in a compromised organism, and also the benefits of possible desirable effects. An interdisciplinary team approach (e.g., toxicology, materials science, medicine, molecular biology, and bioinformatics, to name a few) is mandatory for nanotoxicology research to arrive at an appropriate risk assessment.