Bacteria help put drugs into diseased cells

The Italian Institute of Earth and Volcanic Physics (INGV) earlier this week said it has identified a new bacterium that can be used to transport drugs to diseased cells.

Scientists from INGV's magnetic laboratory on October 16 announced that they have identified a series of pure citric crystals in a special bacterium called Magnetobrivio blakemorei , which was once found by a group of American researchers at the mouth of the Neponset River in eastern Massachusetts.

According to INGV's magnetic research division, Mr. Fabio Florindo, this bacterium, with crystals ranging in size from 20-50 nanometers (10 times larger than the diameter of double helix in DNA), belongs to the group of "magnetotactic bacteria" was discovered in the 1960s and contains crystals sensitive to the Earth's magnetic field.

Magnetotactic bacteria

Magnetotactic bacteria are organisms that can produce membrane-bound nanoparticles called 'magnetosomes' in their bodies, which help the bacteria orient themselves based on the Earth's magnetic fields to move to the more favorable environment.

Magnetosomes contain a mixture of iron and manholic oxide, which is also found in more complex organisms such as salmon, honey bees and pigeons, and is believed to play a fundamental role in orientation.

Mr. Florindo also said the new "magnetic" bacteria were analyzed in Rome's laboratory by modern means such as electron microscopy (TEM) and the most advanced magnetic techniques.

He said: "The kind of magnetic analysis that we did did not harm this type of bacteria and thus allowed us to study the properties of magnetosomes when the bacteria were still alive inside the cell, different from the ones Other rescue was done previously for fossil bacteria ".

Mr. Florindo also noted that the particular bacteria mentioned above do not cause disease, act as a compass inside the cell that can bring important applications in the field of medicine and many other fields, single dispatching, they can be used to transport drugs directly to diseased cells.

INGV Director Stefano Gresta said: "The latest discovery of INGV magnetism laboratory will contribute to other important findings about volcanic rocks and will bring many potential applications. function in different fields ".

Mr. Gresta hopes his institute will build even more collaborative relationships with international scientists to become a reference point for the global scientific community.