The W.M. Keck Foundation has granted the University of Oregon $1.6 million to study the biological effects of exposure to precisely engineered nanoparticles that are being designed for diagnostic and therapeutic uses.

The interdisciplinary project is designed to help researchers understand potential biological interactions of engineered nanomaterials and develop design rules for the development of nanoparticles with enhanced biological properties. The researchers will produce specific structures of nanomaterials, investigate their interactions with biological systems and then design new materials and nanoparticle libraries that have specific biological responses.

The biological testing will involve laboratory experiments using zebrafish, an invertebrate animal model system that was first developed for research at the University of Oregon. With zebrafish, researchers can monitor tissue-specific interactions with nanoparticles, developmental and acute toxicity, and the impacts of exposure on gene regulation.

Source: University of Oregon