ISTM

Employment and Education:

2003-date - Post Doctoral Research Assistant, ISTM, Keele University and nanoTherics, UK

1997-2003 - Senior Research Scientist, Cobra Therapeutics, The Science Park, Keele, UK

1990-1997 - PhD Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, California, USA Thesis: Investigation of Electron transfer in the a-Helical protein Cytochrome b562

1988-1997 - Research Assistant, Magnetics Centre, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena,California, USA

1985-1988 - BSc (Hons) Biomolecular Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, UK

My current research project involves developing a hyperthermia cancer treatment using magnetic nanoparticles. Hyperthermia is the concept of using heat to destroy cancerous cells and tissue. If cancer cells are heated to approximately 46?C they may undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis) and are more susceptible to radiation and chemo therapies. This has led to the development of clinical applications of the technology in the form of microwave, ultrasound and interstitial radiofrequency (brachytherapy) tumour heating. Our method uses magnetic nanoparticles which are delivered to the tumour and heated by an alternating (AC) magnetic field; superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (very small rust particles!) placed in an alternating magnetic field (100-1000 kHz) will heat up. If these nanoparticles are inside tumour cells then the tumour cells will subsequently heat up. The benefit of this approach over other hyperthermia methods is that only cells containing nanoparticles will be heated whilst the surrounding healthy tissue will not be affected. In addition, static magnets can be used to attract the nanoparticles to the tumour and other targeting strategies used to target small, disperse and hard to reach tumours.

We use an in vitro model system that mimics the blood vasculature and a tumour using a layer of endothelial cells and tumour spheroids (a ball of cancer cells). After loading blood monocytes (which are naturally attracted to tumours) with nanoparticles we have successfully delivered nanoparticles to tumours. Using static magnets we have shown a significant increased in the  delivery of nanoparticle loaded monocytes to the spheroids.

Once particles are inside the cells we use our own in-house designed and built AC hyperthermia equipment (patent pending) to perform hyperthermia experiments.

Together with their use in hyperthermia experiments, nanoparticles can also be used for gene transfer, and so my  research activities also include the manufacture and modification of nanoparticles for the delivery of therapeutic genes to cancer cells.

ISTM Research theme: Bioengineering & Therapeutics

Selected Publications

• A. M. R. Haines et al. CL22- a novel cationic peptide for efficient transfection of mammalian cells. Gene Therapy 2001; 8:99-110.

• Wolfgang Zauner, Neil A. Farrow, Adrian M. R. Haines. In-vitro uptake of polystyrene micro spheres: effect of particle size, cell line and cell density. Journal of Controlled Release 2001; 71:39-51.

• Ross BD, Bluml S, Cowan R, Danielsen E, Farrow N, Tan J.  In-vivo MR Spectroscopy of Human Dementia. Neuroimaging Clinics of North America 1998; 8(4):809-822

• Farrow N, Ross BD, and Richards JH. The measurement of pH in vivo in whole body systems. In: D.M. Grant and R.K. Harris, Ed,  Encyclopedia of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 1995.

• Kreis R, Ross BD, Farrow NA, and Ackerman Z. Metabolic disorders of the brain in chronic hepatic encephalopathy detected with 1H MRS. Radiology 1992; 182:19-27.

• Kanamori K, Ross BD, Farrow NA, and Parivar F.  An 15N NMR study of isolated brain in portacaval shunted rats after acute hyperammonemia. Biochim Biophys Acta 1991; 1096(4):270-276

• Ross BD, Farrow NA, Parivar R, and Kanamori K.  Nitrogen-15 NMR:  A new technique for the study of renal nitrogen metabolism. In: H. Endou, ed, Contributions to Nephrology: Molecular Aspects of Ammoniagenesis.  Vol. 92. Basel: S. Karger AG, 1991: 200-205.

• Farrow NA, Kanamori K, Ross BD, and Parivar F.  An N-15 NMR study of cerebral, hepatic and renal nitrogen metabolism in hyperammonemic rats. Biochem J 1990; 270(2):473-481.

• Kreis R, Farrow NA, and Ross BD. Diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Lancet 1990; 336:635-6.

Patent Application

       N. Farrow, J. Dobson, A. Love, J. Reed, 2006, AC Magnetic Heater, UK Application  0605672.5