Research demonstrates use of magnets to thin blood
Investigators have reportedly developed a method to thin blood by subjecting it to a magnetic field, according to a recent study at Temple University. Researchers tout the discovery as a possible future alternative to blood thinners such as aspirin.
Rongjia Tao, PhD, professor and chair of physics at Temple University in Philadelphia, and a collaborator were able to reduce a person’s blood viscosity by 20 to 30 percent by subjecting it to one magnetic field pulse of 1.3T (comparable to an MRI) for about one minute.
In the study, researchers found that when blood—with high viscosity due to dispersed blood cells—passes through a strong magnetic field directed parallel to the flow direction, the field polarizes the particles in the blood plasma and causes the blood cells to form short chains. That effect reduces viscosity and improves flow, according to the study.
“To reduce the blood viscosity, magnetic fields are a logic choice, since the hemoglobin in red blood cell is an iron containing protein capable of binding oxygen molecules,” Tao wrote. “The molecular configuration of the hemoglobin strongly depends on the presence of oxygen.”
Unlike some blood thinning medicines, which can have adverse effects, Tao wrote, the use of a magnetic field can be administered repeatedly to lower blood viscosity. After the treatment, in the absence of a magnetic field, blood viscosity slowly increases, taking a couple of hours to return to its normal level. Selecting the strength of the magnetic field and duration of exposure can keep blood viscosity within normal range, according to the study.
“By selecting a suitable magnetic field strength and pulse duration, we will be able to control the size of the aggregated red-cell chains, hence to control the blood’s viscosity. While this viscosity reduction only lasts a couple of hours, the process is repeatable. Once the viscosity returns to its original value or when it goes too high, reapplying the magnetic field will bring the viscosity down again,” said Tao. “This method of magneto-rheology provides an effective way to control the blood viscosity within a selected range.”
High blood viscosity is linked to vascular disease, and strokes and heart attacks are more likely to occur in people with high and low blood pressures. Studies also have shown that the more viscous blood is, the more injurious it is to blood vessels, Tao wrote.
Tao tested numerous blood samples in his recent study, and found that a magnetic field polarizes the red blood cell, streamlining the movement of the blood. Tao said further studies are needed and hopes to develop the technology into a therapy to prevent heart disease.
Tao and his former graduate student, Ke “Colin” Huang, now a medical physics resident in the department of radiation oncology at the University of Michigan, are publishing their findings in the journal, Physical Review E.
Rongjia Tao, PhD, professor and chair of physics at Temple University in Philadelphia, and a collaborator were able to reduce a person’s blood viscosity by 20 to 30 percent by subjecting it to one magnetic field pulse of 1.3T (comparable to an MRI) for about one minute.
In the study, researchers found that when blood—with high viscosity due to dispersed blood cells—passes through a strong magnetic field directed parallel to the flow direction, the field polarizes the particles in the blood plasma and causes the blood cells to form short chains. That effect reduces viscosity and improves flow, according to the study.
“To reduce the blood viscosity, magnetic fields are a logic choice, since the hemoglobin in red blood cell is an iron containing protein capable of binding oxygen molecules,” Tao wrote. “The molecular configuration of the hemoglobin strongly depends on the presence of oxygen.”
Unlike some blood thinning medicines, which can have adverse effects, Tao wrote, the use of a magnetic field can be administered repeatedly to lower blood viscosity. After the treatment, in the absence of a magnetic field, blood viscosity slowly increases, taking a couple of hours to return to its normal level. Selecting the strength of the magnetic field and duration of exposure can keep blood viscosity within normal range, according to the study.
“By selecting a suitable magnetic field strength and pulse duration, we will be able to control the size of the aggregated red-cell chains, hence to control the blood’s viscosity. While this viscosity reduction only lasts a couple of hours, the process is repeatable. Once the viscosity returns to its original value or when it goes too high, reapplying the magnetic field will bring the viscosity down again,” said Tao. “This method of magneto-rheology provides an effective way to control the blood viscosity within a selected range.”
High blood viscosity is linked to vascular disease, and strokes and heart attacks are more likely to occur in people with high and low blood pressures. Studies also have shown that the more viscous blood is, the more injurious it is to blood vessels, Tao wrote.
Tao tested numerous blood samples in his recent study, and found that a magnetic field polarizes the red blood cell, streamlining the movement of the blood. Tao said further studies are needed and hopes to develop the technology into a therapy to prevent heart disease.
Tao and his former graduate student, Ke “Colin” Huang, now a medical physics resident in the department of radiation oncology at the University of Michigan, are publishing their findings in the journal, Physical Review E.