Terahertz Imaging Unravels the Role of Nanoparticle Distribution in Magnetic Scaffolds for RF Hyperthermia

Magnetic scaffolds are magnetoresponsive biomedical devices combining magnetic nanoparticles and biomaterials. These devices are implanted after reductive surgery and are used to treat bone cancers by performing interstitial hyperthermia treatment, applying RF magnetic fields. Despite the promising therapeutic potential, magnetic scaffold loading can drastically affect the treatment outcome. In this work, an extensive characterization of 10 samples was conducted. Terahertz time-of-flight imaging was used to derive spatial distributions of the nanoparticles in the biomaterial and to perform advanced numerical simulations to study the effect on the hyperthermia treatment of residual bone cancer cells. We found that the temperature in the target tumor region was linearly correlated with the homogeneity of the magnetic nanoparticle distribution, while being inversely related to its skewness and nonlinearly related to its kurtosis.