The Next and Already 15th Magnetic Carrier Meeting Will Take Place in Paris, France

It is a great pleasure to announce our next and already 15th International Conference on the Scientific and Clinical Applications of Magnetic Carriers. It will take place in Paris, France from May 26-29, 2026 at the Sorbonne University under the local guidance of Emilie Secret. We have just booked the boat for our traditional river trip - this time on the Seine. A few more details and deadlines are already available here.

Magnetic Microcatheter Delivers Therapies to The Tiniest Blood Vessels

The MagFlow microcatheter, half the size of traditional microcatheters and powered by blood flow, is set to revolutionize therapy delivery to the smallest blood vessels, offering new treatment possibilities for complex cardiovascular and neurological conditions. Developed by the team at MicroBioRobotic Systems Laboratory (MICROBS), EPFL, and various hospitals, led by Associate Professor Mahmut Selman Sakar and Dr. Lucio Pancaldi, MagFlow's design minimizes vessel wall contact by harnessing the blood stream's kinetic energy. MagFlow operates with two bonded polymer sheets that inflate to deliver medical liquids, guided precisely by the OmniMag platform, which aligns a magnetic field according to a doctor's stylus movements. Tests have successfully used MagFlow to catheterize arteries in pigs' heads, necks, and spines for delivering contrast and embolizing agents. 

For more information, check out https://news.epfl.ch/news/microcatheter-delivers-therapies-to-the-tiniest--2/ or the original article in Science Robotics here.

Microrobots Travel in the Blood Stream to Deliver Drugs

Every year, 12 million people worldwide suffer from strokes, often facing death or permanent disability due to inefficient drug delivery methods. Researchers from the Multi-Scale Robotics Lab, ETH Zurich, led by Dr. Fabian Landers, have created a microrobot that delivers drugs directly to specific body parts. This spherical capsule, with a soluble gel shell, uses iron oxide for magnetic guidance and tantalum for X-ray visibility. It dissolves to release drugs precisely where needed, promising to lower medication doses and reduce side effects like internal bleeding. The team guides this microrobot to the target area using magnets and an electromagnetic system. They load it with drugs that release when they heat the iron oxide with a high-frequency magnetic field, melting the gel shell. Injected via catheter into the bloodstream or cerebrospinal fluid, the microrobot employs a commercial guidewire and a flexible polymer gripper for precise placement. This innovation offers targeted treatment for thrombosis, infections, or tumors, potentially transforming therapy approaches and accelerating the move to human trials. ETH Zurich's method stands out for its combined magnetic and X-ray guidance, marking a leap forward in controlled drug delivery.

This study was published in Science: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx1708. To see how the microrobots work, check out this video on youtube: https://youtu.be/nnpZMW-f_ts?si=-6enRtcoxVo_PBeY

New Iron Compound Doubles Absorption Efficiency

Iron deficiency, impacting 2 billion people worldwide, may see a revolutionary treatment thanks to ETH Zurich researchers. Prof. Raffaele Mezzenga and Prof. Michael Zimmermann have developed a dietary supplement that the body absorbs nearly twice as efficiently as standard iron supplements. In a clinical study with 52 anemic women in Thailand, the new compound showed nearly double the absorption efficiency of iron sulfate, the current standard. ETH Zurich's development offers a major step forward in nutritional science, introducing a tasteless, colorless solution that integrates seamlessly into daily diets, potentially cutting down the global prevalence of iron deficiency and anemia. 

Check it out here: https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2025/11/new-treatment-for-combating-iron-deficiency-more-effectively.html

Altermagnets

If you are not only interested in magnetic particles, but also the newer developments in magnetism research and its underlaying physics, you might want to check out the website of the Spin Phenomena Interdisciplinary Center (SPICE) (http://www.spice.uni-mainz.de/).

Very recently, they hosted a conference about the “Theory of Unconventional Magnetism: exploring altermagnets and beyond”.All tutorials and talks from this exciting workshop are online.

SPICE’s website also gives upcoming workshops that you may want to attend and to propose your own workshop. As always, all the talks of the workshops and on-line seminars will be available at the SPICE YouTube channel.

Carbon Secrets of Ancient Oceans Unveiled

(ETH Zurich, September 26, 2025) For the first time, researchers at ETH Zurich, led by Prof. Jordon Hemingway, have shown that ancient oceans held 90 to 99 percent less dissolved organic carbon than today, challenging old views on Earth's history. This discovery, made by analyzing tiny egg-shaped iron oxide stones, suggests early seas were much less carbon-rich, forcing scientists to rethink theories on ice ages and the emergence of complex life. The team's innovative use of iron oxide grains for direct carbon measurement offers a new lens on Earth's past, promising to reshape our understanding of its geological and biological evolution. This method not only questions established beliefs about the development of complex life and ice ages but also opens new paths for exploring Earth's early environmental conditions. 

For the original article, see here.

New Graduate Student and Postdoc Positions

nexMPI is an open European network (COST Action) that brings together expertise from industry, academia, medicine, biology, and regulatory affairs. Their mission is to expand access to MPI technology, foster cross-sector collaboration, and establish Europe as a global leader in MPI research and innovation. As this is a new program, there are quite a few new positions available, and many of them have to do with magnetic nanoparticles and related nanomedicine research. Check out their website, their program (e.g., regular talks about MPI) and their job announcements:

https://nexmpi.eu/open-positions/

Thematic Submissions Requested for Nanoscale Journal

The journal Nanoscale is promoting a themed collection of articles related to Magnetic Nanoparticles: From Massart Method to a Cascade of Innovations and is pleased to announce an extension to the deadline to allow authors more time to finalise their submissions. If you work in the area and are interested in submitting, please send your work to Nanoscale before the new deadline of 16th January 2026.

In tribute to René Massart, this collection will cover various aspects of magnetic nanoparticles, including their synthesis, characterization, functionalization and application. This themed collection is being guest edited and rigorously assessed by Ali Abou-Hassan (Sorbonne University, France), Professors Nguyen T. K. Thanh (University College London, United Kingdom), Teresa Pellegrino (Italian Institute of Technology, Italy), Anna Cristina S. Samia (Case Western Reserve University, United States), Olivier Sandre (University of Bordeaux, France) and Lise-Marie Lacroix (Toulouse University, France). 

For more details about your submissions to Nanoscale and Nanoscale Advances please consult this link here.