A team of Tatar and UK scientists have developed a technique for functionalising yeast cells with magnetic nanoparticles. The cells remain alive after being modified, opening up the possibility of harnessing their magnetic properties for many biotechnological applications. 

Using a single step procedure the team led by Vesselin Paunov from the University of Hull, UK, coated Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells with magnetic nanoparticles. The yeast cells don't gather together unless there is a controlling magnetic field and can be easily separated once the field is removed, explains Paunov. Throughout the process the cell membrane remains intact, he adds, 'If the magnetic nanoparticles enter the cells there could be a variety of potential toxic effects which could compromise their viability.'

Functionalised yeast cells can be gathered together and separated using a magnetic field

'What's really exciting about it, is that the cells are still alive and potentially they could use magnetic fields to move live cells' says Kimberly Hamad-Schifferli an expert in biological engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, US. 

Paunov's team showed that the yeast cells produced a fluorescent protein when exposed to genotoxic or cyctotoxic compounds. Producing foreign proteins in this way is an important ability for many biotechnological applications, explains Paunov and he sees many potential uses for the cells: 'The magnetic cells could be useful in biosensors and microfluidic devices to position cells inside the chip by using external magnetic fields.' And the technology also allows you to extract particular cells out of mixtures, he adds. 

The method isn't restricted to yeast cells, says Paunov, and his team are now exploring it's use in bacteria and mammalian cells. 

Russell Johnson 

 

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