Nano-biointeractions need more study

A coordinated global research effort is needed to predict how engineered nanoparticles will interact with biological systems, concludes a new assessment from the International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON). The report provides recommendations for predicting nano-biointeractions and for managing nanotech risk developed from two multistakeholder workshops organized by ICON in 2007. "This represents the first effort to tackle the grand challenge of predicting nanomaterial impacts on human health and the environment," says Kristen M. Kulinowski, director of ICON, which is based at Rice University. Key findings include the need to develop screening tools and in vitro assays to correlate the physicochemical properties of nanomaterials with their potential bioactivity; the need to better understand surface interactions and how nanomaterials change throughout their life cycle; and the need to develop biomarkers for predicting in vivo information from in vitro results and the need for standardization within the field.