Magnetic actuation for magnetic nanoparticles under magneto-thermo-acoustic imaging

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have significant potential in the applications of precision diagnosis and treatment, particularly image monitoring and targeted therapies, owing to their magnetic response and magneto-thermal properties. However, further development of target modulation technologies is required to achieve deep-tissue imaging with high sensitivity. In this paper, we propose an integrated approach combining magnetic modulation of MNPs with magneto-thermo-acoustic imaging. We have designed a three-axis Helmholtz coil and a magneto-thermo-acoustic imaging model, forming the basis of an integrated experimental platform designed for both modulation and imaging. Numerical simulations and experiments have been conducted to examine how various particle characteristics influence outcomes under magnetic fields, and an integrated platform combining a three-axis Helmholtz coil with magneto-thermo-acoustic imaging has been successfully developed. This platform enables, for the first time, real-time monitoring of the regulation of MNPs, and we have carefully validated its effectiveness through experiments. The results demonstrate the advantages of dual-modality in electromagnetic modulation and coupled imaging, highlighting the potential of such a system to enhance the regulation of MNPs under image guidance for precision diagnostic and therapeutic applications. (c) 2025 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).