Vehicle-saving theranostic probes based on hydrophobic iron oxide nanoclusters using doxorubicin as a phase transfer agent for MRI and chemotherapy.

A simple approach for constructing theranostic nanobeads is developed by using doxorubicin as a phase transfer agent to solubilize small iron oxide nanoclusters. The nanobeads can be specifically internalized into cancer cells with the guidance of an external magnetic field, resulting in good MRI and chemotherapy.