From 2011.igem.org

  

 CLAIM FOR POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST...with the COOLEST guys around the world

Magnetotactic bacteria, also known as magnetic bacteria, are an evolutionarily diverse group [1] of motile, Gram-negative eubacteria presenting magnetotaxis.

Hard to Cultivate?!!

However, strains capable of pure culture are only a few. Among them, Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum MS-1 [2], Magnetospirillum gryphiswalden MSR-1 [3], and Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 [4] are used most frequently in researches on magnetotactic bacteria. In recent years, improved cultivation of Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum MS-1 [5], Magnetospirillum gryphiswalden MSR-1 [6], and Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 [7] have also been achieved, respectively. These have lead to the field buzzing about the realization of applications spanning fMRI reporting, tumor targeting, etc., using magnetites produced by these cells [8, 9, 10, 11].