Researchers at Harvard University are working on an innovative method for treating blood infections - drawing the bacteria out of blood with magnets. They mix infected blood with tiny antibody-coated magnetic spheres only 1/8 the size of red blood cells. The antibodies on the spheres attach to bacteria in the blood, and then the spheres and the bacteria are drawn off together using a powerful magnetic field.
In initial experiments the method removed up to 80% of the bacteria in small samples (10-20 ml) of blood. However, several questions remain to be unanswered: 1) Can the method be tooled up to cleanse the larger volume of blood in human patients? 2) Will reducing the bacterial or fungal load in a patient’s blood actually improve the patient’s recovery? 3) What might happen to the patient if a few magnetic beads are not removed from the blood before it is returned to the patient?
It may be awhile before we know if the method can be used safely and effectively to treat blood infections in human patients.
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