Magneto-oncology: a radical pair primer.

Abstract

There are few well-established biophysical mechanisms by which external magnetic fields can influence the biochemistry of molecules in living systems. The radical pair mechanism is arguably the most promising. In this mini-review I summarize the characteristics of radical pairs in a way that may be useful to those engaged in the field of magneto-oncology. The intention is to help researchers decide whether an observed biomedical magnetic field effect could have its origin in radical pair biochemistry. Armed with a physically plausible interaction mechanism, it may be possible to devise and refine a theoretical model and thereby iteratively optimise therapeutic protocols. Such an approach may also help identify experimental artefacts.