Simple optical measurement of the magnetic moment of magnetically labeled objects

We describe a method to determine the magnetic moment of those carriers using a microscopic set-up and an image processing algorithm. In contrast to other works, we measure the diversion of superparamagnetic nanoparticles in a static fluid. The set-up is optimized to achieve a homogeneous movement of the magnetic carriers inside the magnetic field. The evaluation is automated with a customized algorithm, utilizing a set of basic algorithms, including blob recognition, feature-based shape recognition and a graph algorithm. We present example measurements for the characteristic properties of different types of carriers in combination with different types of nanoparticles. Those properties include velocity in the magnetic field as well as the magnetic moment. The investigated carriers are adherent and suspension cells, while the used nanoparticles have different sizes and coatings to obtain varying behavior of the carriers.