Das Projekt "Nano-HEALTH - Nano-structured materials for drug targeting, release and imaging - WP 5: Safety and nanotoxicology" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH durchgeführt. The term 'Nanotoxicology' was introduced in 2004 by Donaldson and colleagues who realized that nano-scale particles behave very differently from their larger counterparts. The effects of the exposure and the mechanism of toxicity are much better documented for environmental combustion-derived NPs than for NPs designed for medical use. Within Nano-Health safety and toxicology will be addressed using a panel of in-vitro screening assays to prevent further development of toxic nanoparticles. Diverse aspects of toxicity including cytotoxicity, hemocompatibility and genotoxicity will be addressed. NPs with no obvious toxicity in the dose range of interest will be screened for in-vivo toxicity in rats and mice. For these applications standardised protocols will be used and adapted to the application of NPs. Tests investigating organ specific toxicity will be added if indicated by blood analysis or histopathological evaluation of in-vivo experiments. The effect on the immune system is studied in more detail to characterise the allergenic potential of NPs. As particles after a single exposure may be retained in the body for a prolonged time a new testing system will be developed addressing chronic cytotoxicity. The relationship between in vitro and in vivo toxicity will be explored for selected particles. One of the results will be a standardized toolbox of in-vitro assays to address acute and chronic toxicity of nanoparticles.