Ironing Out Blood Impurities

December 9, 2003 | Source: Wired News

Magnetized nanoparticles may one day be the treatment of choice for people needing to detox.

The 100 to 5,000 nanometers nanoparticles, designed at the Argonne National Laboratory, have receptors designed to identify, and then latch onto, target molecules. The nanoparticles are injected into the bloodstream, where they circulate through the body, picking up their target toxins as they go.

A magnet housed in a handheld unit and a small, dual-channel shunt inserted into an arm or leg artery remove the particles from the body.