Researchers at Swansea University's Centre for NanoHealth have been awarded £1m funding to analyse the levels at which nanoparticles can be deemed safe within cells.
The grant will enable Swansea University to develop techniques to accurately measure the nanoparticle dose delivered to biological cells, track the dose dilution as cells reproduce and provide vital information for researchers studying any potential toxic responses.
The funding, by the Research Councils' Nanoscience through Engineering to Application cross-council programme, led by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), was awarded as part of a £1.4m (Euro 1.6m) research grant to Swansea University and collaborators at the Institute of Materials Research at the University of Leeds.
The four-year project will also ensure closer collaboration between researchers at Swansea University's School of Engineering and School of Medicine, both of which have undertaken significant research into nanotechnology, nanometrology and nanotoxicology over the past 15 years.
Professor Huw Summers, lead researcher and Chair in Nanotechnology for Health at Swansea University said: "Current practice in the assessment of toxic dose uses bulk solution measures such as milliliters per gram to determine correct dosages rather than the fundamental measure of particle number. As the size of nanoparticles can vary significantly, some being as small as a protein molecule, determining optimal dosages for use in healthcare and beauty products such as sunscreens or cell-based diagnostics will be crucial.
"Our research which uses light emitting nanoparticles as optical markers within living cells that give an individual signal relating to cell generation will also provide vital information for our colleagues in nanotoxicology about how the dose evolves as cells divide and nanoparticles are passed onto future cell generations."
Summers added: "We now have established protocols for introducing nanoparticles into cells and quantifying their interactions within the biological environment through optics-based experiments and detailed computational simulations. This enables us to not only predict and control the way cells and structures behave, but test these before they are introduced, reintroduced or implanted in the body to give better results in future healthcare applications."
The project research team will comprise 11 researchers, six academic investigators, three postdoctoral researchers and two PhD students.
In addition to optical tracking of nanoparticles in cells, measurement and computer simulation of the nanoparticle dose evolution, biological assessment of particle uptake and toxicology assays on skin, lung and immune system cells; Swansea University will also be working with the Institute of Materials Research at the University of Leeds which will be providing high resolution electron microscopy to image nanoparticles in cells and provide chemical analysis.