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 http://www.sciencemag.org/content/259/5096/803.short 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 http://jb.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/140/2/720 2, Magnetospirillum gryphiswalden MSR-1 http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=ENV&recid=3741674&q=The+isolation+of+a+new+magnetic+spirillum.&uid=791101605&setcookie=yes 3, and Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 http://www.springerlink.com/content/x942j5lw60j48865/ 4 are used most frequently in researches on magnetotactic bacteria. In recent years, improved cultivation of Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum MS-1 http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/8487/1/IJEB 48(5) 518-523.pdf 5, Magnetospirillum gryphiswalden MSR-1 http://www.microbialcellfactories.com/content/9/1/99 6, and Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=104444 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 [[http://www.nature.com/news/2004/040906/full/news040906-11.html 8], [http://ijr.sagepub.com/content/28/4/571.short 9], [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mrm.21606/pdf 10], [http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=5627105 11]].