Curing infection with megnetism

An exciting new development on the horizon uses iron oxide beads coated with antibodies to seek out and trap bacteria or fungi causing infections. The beads are very fine, having the thickness one-hundreth of that of the human hair, and they are injected into the blood stream of patients. A dialysis like machine employs an an electronic to pull out the beads, along with the disease causing bacteria or fungi stuck to the antibodies on the beads, from the blood into the saline solution

About 80% of the disease causing agents are thus removed, making it much easier to tackle the rest with drugs.

The treatment is thought to be particularly useful when wounds become septic, and organ failures can take place before the drugs have a chance to act. A large number of sepsis related deaths occur each year. Animals trial taking place currently under the supervision of "Prof. Don-Ingber" at the Harvard medical school and Children's Hospital will be followed by human trials. The technique also has the potential of removing cancer cells or harvesting stem cells.