text: Nanoparticles used as carriers for nucleic acids are mostly iron oxides. These iron oxides can be generated by precipitation from acidic iron-salt solutions upon addition of appropriate bases. The magnetic nanoparticles have an approximate size of 100 nm and are additionally coated with biological polymers to allow loading of nucleic acids. Particles and nucleic acids form complexes by ionic interaction of the negatively charged nucleic acid and the positively charged surface of the magnetic nanoparticle.