Magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications: From the soul of the Earth to the deep history of ourselves

Abstract

Precisely engineered magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been widely explored for applications including theragnostic platforms, drug delivery systems, biomaterial/device coatings, tissue engineering scaffolds, performance-enhanced therapeutic alternatives and even in SARS-CoV-2 detection strips. Such popularity is due to their unique, challenging, and tailorable physicochemical/magnetic properties. Given the wide biomedical-related potential applications of MNPs, significant achievements have been reached and published (exponentially) in the last five years, both in synthesis and application tailoring. Within this review, and in addition to essential works in this field, we have focused on the latest representative reports regarding the biomedical use of MNPs, including characteristics related to their oriented synthesis, tailored geometry, and designed multibio-functionality. Further, actual trends, needs and limitations of magnetic-based nanostructures for biomedical applications will be also discussed.