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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Jan 31.
Published in final edited form as: Chem Rev. 2015 Aug 10;115(19):10690–10724. doi: 10.1021/cr500698d

Figure 1. Unique advantages of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in diagnostic applications.

Figure 1

Affinity functionalized MNPs can efficiently bind to biological targets. The resultant magnetically-labeled targets (cells, proteins, nucleic acids) can be mechanically manipulated by applying external magnetic fields (magnetic actuation), or detected by using magnetometers (magnetic sensing). These operations achieve high contrast against the biological background, and can be performed in native, i.e., non-purified clinical specimens.