# Remote Control of Gold–Iron Nanowires Using Low-Frequency 1 Hz Magneto-Mechanical Therapy and Cesium 137 0.662 MeV Radiotherapy for Treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme

## TL;DR

This study explores combining magneto-mechanical therapy with radiotherapy using gold-iron nanowires to improve treatment of glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer.

## Contribution

The novel approach combines magneto-mechanical therapy and radiotherapy using gold-iron nanowires to achieve a synergistic effect in treating glioblastoma.

## Key findings

- Combining MMT and RT with AuFe NWs reduced cell viability by ~60%, showing a synergistic effect.
- Optimal AuFe NW composition and frequency were identified through synthesis and computational modeling.
- MMT increased nanowire-cell association and caused local membrane damage, enhancing RT efficacy.

## Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM)
is an extremely infiltrative brain cancer that
is impossible to fully remove surgically and almost always recurs
at the borders of the resection cavity. There is increasing focus
on inducing cancer cell death using magneto-mechanical therapy (MMT),
which involves energy conversion of an external low-frequency magnetic
field into mechanical forces using magnetic nanoparticles. Here, we
combined MMT with enhanced radiotherapy (RT)the standard of
care treatment for GBMto increase the efficiency of treatment
using gold–iron nanowires (AuFe NWs). The magnetic iron component
of the nanowires mechanically rotates, inducing cellular damage, and
the gold scatters X-rays due to its high atomic number, enhancing
the local RT dose. We show that reproducible synthesis of AuFe NWs
with different ratios of gold:iron can be achieved using a hard-template
electrochemical method, controlling composition by tuning the deposition
current. Ratios with best-performing iron percentages were selected
for computational modeling to predict which frequency should be applied in vitro on a GBM cell line. In vitro testing,
using a cell metabolism assay, and the optimal frequency and gold:iron
ratio, demonstrated that applying MMT alongside RT resulted in a synergistic
effect, reducing cell viability significantly by ∼60% (as compared
with a 30% reduction for RT, with/without AuFe NWs), and a 20% reduction
for MMT (with AuFe NWs). The increased efficacy of RT, post-MMT, was
attributed to the higher association of the nanowires with the cells
following application of the magnetic field and local membrane damage.