We have been developing the device for magneticallytargeted drug delivery system (MT-DDS), which can allow us tonavigate and to accumulate the drug at the local diseased part insidethe body by controlling to magnetic field strength and/or gradientgenerated by the superconducting magnets. In consideringan application of this technique to the network of the blood vessel,a number of magnets should be placed within a small region. Themagnetic field at the branching point is superimposed the fieldsfrom the magnets. The optimal arrangement of magnetic field forMT-DDS was calculated and experimental verification was madeusing several different sizes of Y-shaped glass tubes with multiplebranching points as a model system of blood vessel. Ferromagneticparticles were injected into the Y-shape glass tube and were navigatedby the magnetic field which was generated by the magnet optimallyarranged based on the calculation. The ratio of the amountof the navigated ferromagnetic particle to the dosed amount wasmeasured as magnetic navigation efficiency. It is found that experimentalresult of magnetic navigation efficiency agreed with thecalculation results, which shows that magnetic navigation by thesuperconducting magnet can be a promising way for realization ofMT-DDS.
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