| Mar 10, 2011 |
Computational models predict nanoparticle toxicity
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(Nanowerk News) Researchers are developing computational models to predict the behaviour of nanomaterials in biological systems. Such predictions will allow researchers to streamline and prioritise the toxicological testing of nanomaterials.
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Enrico Burello and Andrew Worth, both scientists at the Joint Research Centre's Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, describe this approach ("Computational nanotoxicology: Predicting toxicity of nanoparticles") in reviewing a recent paper ("Using nano-QSAR to predict the cytotoxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles") by Jerzy Leszczynski and coworkers on the development of a Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship (QSAR) model to predict the cytotoxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles.
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Although QSAR methodologies are well-known and have been extensively used in the areas of drug discovery and chemical toxicology, their application to nanomaterials is still in its infancy. Burello & Worth's recent contribution in this domain is the JRC study ("A theoretical framework for predicting the oxidative stress potential of oxide nanoparticles") published in July 2010, proposing a theoretical framework for predicting the oxidative stress potential of oxide nanoparticles.
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