Researchers at Queen’s University in Canada have managed to get a special type of bacteria to swim against a strong current, opening up the possibility of using the organisms as drug delivery vehicles. The team is using magnetotactic bacteria which have magnetic crystals within them and naturally orient themselves with the Earth’s magnetic field. By setting up the external magnetic field, the researchers were able to coax the bacteria to move in predictable ways and directions.

Typically, magnetotactic bacteria are exposed to the Earth’s magnetic field and natural currents within the bodies of water they inhabit. The Queen’s University team exposed the bacteria to more potent magnetic fields and stronger currents to see if they would manage swimming properly under drastically different conditions.

In their experiments, the researchers observed the bacteria swimming across quickly moving currents, even when the magnet was moved to be oriented perpendicular to the liquid’s flow, a somewhat unnatural occurrence.

Having shown that the magnetotactic bacteria can navigate through difficult environments similar to those found in the body, the researchers now plan on working on attaching different drug compounds to the bacteria. If everything goes as hoped, we may soon see a new treatment model in which millions of drug-laden bacteria are injected followed by the patient standing inside a magnetic environment that points to the bacteria where to flow toward a desired target.