Ongoing Efforts Relevant to the
Predictive Modeling for Human Health CoR
Project Name: MPNS COST Action TD1204: Modelling Nanomaterial Toxicity (MODENA)
Summary: We propose the MODENA COST Action to promote and to realise through the coordination of these inter-disciplinary collaborations (including the integration of expertise of nanomaterial scientists, (eco)-toxicologists, and modellers from academia, regulatory agencies and industry) of different parties with the ultimate aim of producing Quantitative Nanostructure-Toxicity Relationships (QNTR) models for ENM. The important benefits from MODENA include: (i) the development of a new generation of SAFE-by-DESIGN ENM; (ii) the effective reduction of animal testing and (iii) The creation of transparent, validated and rigorous QNTR tools for regulatory purposes in the field of nanotoxicology according to OECD principles.
Other Information: COST does not fund research itself but provides a platform for European scientists to cooperate on a particular project and exchange expertise. These projects are called “Actions”.
This action may provide funds for networking on the topic of QSARs.
Website: http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/mpns/Actions/TD1204
More information, including slides from a recent workshop, is available at http://www.cost.eu/events/qntr
Point of Contact: Dr. Lang Tran
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Summary: Just wanted to mention an alternative in vivo system that our research group at the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is investigating. We’ve been looking at the possible use of Caenorabditis elegans (nematode) as an alternative model to evaluate nanomaterial toxicity. Right now the research is focusing on testing this system with nanosilver. This project is due to wrap up the middle of next year.
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Point of Contact: Scott Thurmond, scott.thurmond@fda.hhs.gov
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Summary: High throughput screening at the JRC
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Project Name: NanoChOp
Summary: A consortium of characterization labs across Europe probably will examine 4 or 5 different materials in different media.
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Website: At the moment the project is very new and has no website.
Point of Contact: Damian Marshall, damian.marshall@lgc.co.uk
Project Name: ITS NANO – Intelligent testing strategy for engineered nanomaterials
Summary: The ITS-NANO concept is to gather scientific evidence and assemble representative stakeholders for the consent on a research strategy for rational grouping of ENM and a risk assessment approach for ENM.
The objectives of the ITS-NANO project are to develop:
- A framework for future research aiming at rational grouping, through well standardized methods, of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) according to their
- physical characteristics
- chemical characteristics
- biological characteristics.
- A framework for future research aiming at specific grouping of ENM according to the specific health risk they present towards the immunological, respiratory, reproductive, circulatory, etc… systems.
- A strategy to increase the integration among stakeholders (food industry, nanomaterial manufacturers, pharma- and health-related industry) for a shared, agreedupon risk assessment strategy and approach to conveying the appropriate, evidencebased information to the public.
Other Information:
Website: http://www.arbejdsmiljoforskning.dk/en/projekter/its-nano
Point of Contact: Vicki Stone
Project Name: NIEHS Centers for Nanotechnology Health Implications Research (NCNHIR) Consortium
Summary: The NCNHIR Consortium is an interdisciplinary program consisting eight Cooperative Centers along with several other active grantees funded through the Nanotechnology Environmental Health and Safety program. The NIEHS also established contractual agreements with the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory for nanomaterial characterization and with the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering to create an informational database.
Other Information: Stacey recently sent an email to NCNHIR Consortium managers to publicize the CoRs and solicit participation from members.
Website:
Point of Contact: Sri Nadadur, nadadurs@niesh.nih.gov
Project Name: ToxCast™
Summary: EPA launched ToxCast™ in 2007 to develop ways to predict potential toxicity of chemicals and to develop a cost-effective approach for prioritizing the thousands of chemicals that need toxicity testing. ToxCast™ uses advanced science tools to help understand how human body processes are impacted by exposures to chemicals and helps determine which exposures are most likely to lead to adverse health effects.
Timeline:
- Phase I, “Proof of Concept”, was completed in 2009 and it profiled over 300 well studied chemicals (primarily pesticides).
- Phase I chemicals have over 30 years worth of existing toxicity data since they have been tested already using traditional toxicology methods (primarily animal studies). Data from animal studies can be searched and queried using EPA’s Toxicity Reference Database (ToxRefDB) that stores nearly $2 billion worth of studies.
- Phase II is currently screening 2,000 chemicals from a broad range of sources including industrial and consumer products, food additives, touted “green” products, nanomaterials and drugs that never made it to the market.
Other Information:
Website: http://www.epa.gov/ncct/toxcast/
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Project Name: Intestinal, Liver and Vascular Nanoparticle Toxicity (InLiveTox)
Summary: The InLiveTox project will develop an improved in vitro model for the study of nanoparticle (NP) uptake, transport and cellular interaction, thus advancing our understanding of NP toxicity. Biological tissue models will be implemented in a microfabricated compartmental cell culture system that allows multiple cell types to be addressed and investigated in combination.
InLiveTox will focus on the impact of NP exposure via ingestion, in the healthy and diseased gastrointestinal (GI) tract, vascular endothelium and liver.
The key questions being addressed by this project are:
- How do these tissues individually respond to NPs?
- How do the interactions between the different tissues modulate their responses?
- How does inflammation affect the toxicity of NPs and their ability to cross the intestinal barrier?
- Which physico-chemical characteristics of NPs influence their uptake by intestinal epithelial cells and their subsequent interactions with endothelial and liver cells?
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Website: http://www.inlivetox.eu/index.php?id=150
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Summary: Collaboration between JRC and other National Metrology Institutes to generate tools that can detect nanomaterials in various media
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Project Name: JRC NANOhub
Summary: The NANOhub hosts a database of nanomaterial-specific endpoints and properties from WPMN. The database was populated using a nano-specific template that was based on OECD harmonized templates. NANOhub is primarily used by the WPMN. Data could be uploaded to NANOhub and shared among scientists, but the data is not public.
Other Information:
Website: http://napirahub4.jrc.ec.europa.eu/EcotoxNANO/
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Summary: Collaboration between JRC and other National Metrology Institutes to generate tools that can detect nanomaterials in various media
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