In vitro approaches towards understanding the (geno)toxic and immunological implications of nanomaterial exposure

Increased research has been applied towards deducing the impact of short-term human
exposures of nanomaterials, yet to-date there remains a limited understanding of what the
possible consequences are in terms of chronic exposure, particularly in terms of the ability
for nanoparticles to cause genotoxicity and compromise the immune system. In this regard,
particular attention must be given to the varying physico-chemical characteristics of
nanomaterials in order to understand and create informed and relevant structure-activity
relationships to help advise the future design of nanomaterials, as well as regulatory and
legislative approaches.
The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of my current research,
highlighting active research investigations into the usefulness of in vitro systems to deduce
both the immunosuppressive and immunotolerance of nanomaterials for nanomedical use,
the genotoxic mode of action for carbon nanotubes, in consideration of their application with
consumer goods, as well as the ability for advanced in vitro systems to be used as specific
alternatives to animal experimentation.