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Repurposing magnetic hyperthermia therapy to control biosynthesis in synthetic cells

The programmability of synthetic cells facilitates their application as drug delivery devices, but on-demand biosynthesis and release of cargo using a tissue-penetrating stimuli remains a challenge. Now, the heat generated from magnetic hyperthermia — a clinically approved anticancer therapy — is used to control the in situ synthesis and release of biomolecules from within synthetic cells.

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Fig. 1: On-demand activation of biosynthesis inside synthetic cells with magnetic hyperthermia.

References

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This is a summary of: Parkes, E. et al. Magnetic activation of spherical nucleic acids enables the remote control of synthetic cells. Nat. Chem. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-025-01909-6 (2025).

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Repurposing magnetic hyperthermia therapy to control biosynthesis in synthetic cells. Nat. Chem. 17, 1448–1449 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-025-01910-z

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