Steenblock Research Institute, San Clemente, CA 92673, USA. dragpayne@yahoo.com
If stem cell therapy is to be maximally effective, it is vital that progenitor (stem) cells get to the target tissue(s) and/or organ(s). Three methods of facilitating stem cell homing to target tissues are explored in this paper: (1) cobalt compounds such as cobalt phthalocyanines could be magnetically delivered to target tissue(s) and/or organ(s), and then subject to a brief pulsed magnetic field or ultrasound exposure suitable to induce mild hyperthermia with the result being the synthesis of cytokines that are chemoattractants to progenitor (stem) cells; (2) ferromagnetic nanobead particles could be tagged with antibodies specific to the target tissue(s) and/or organ(s) and infused into patients, followed by introduction of progenitor (stem) cells tagged with antibody-bound magnetic nanoparticles. This should result in passive attachment (stem cells to tagged tissue or organ); and (3) Reticulose, which stimulates the synthesis of the stem cell chemoattractant IL-8, could be magnetically guided to target tissue(s) and/or organ(s).