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Grants Awarded to Evaluate Safety of Nanomaterials |
Posted on: 11/19/2009 12:00:00 AM... The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, has awarded 13 new two-year grants—about $13 million in total—to develop better methods of assessing exposure and health effects associated with nanomaterials. Engineered nanomaterials are becoming more and more commonplace in material design and development for industry and consumer products, including stain-resistant clothing, pesticides, tires, electronics, and health care technology.
The NIEHS grants focus on developing reliable and reproducible methods and models to assess exposure, exposure metrics, and biological response to nanomaterials. As stated in a November 19 NIEHS announcement, “There are inconsistencies in the biological effects of engineered nanomaterials reported in the scientific literature, and a major reason for this is lack of detailed characterization of the physical and chemical properties of the nanomaterials used in these studies.” A goal of the grant program is to identify three or four reproducible test methods using the same nanomaterials by investigators in different laboratories.
The NIEHS said it is establishing an integrated program that will narrow its focus to identify the best methods to evaluate the health effects of nanomaterials through use of cell cultures and animal systems. After an initial meeting, grantees will meet face-to-face twice a year to share information, evaluate progress, and determine next steps.
The grants were awarded to the following organizations:
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles
- University of Rochester, New York
- University of Montana, Missoula
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Richland
- University of California, Berkeley
- Arizona State University, Tempe
- Indiana University, Indianapolis
- Michigan State University, East Lansing
- University of California, Davis
- West Virginia University, Morgantown
- Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Morgantown, W.Va.
On November 4, NIEHS announced another new funding opportunity to address the potential health implications of nanomaterials. A link to the Request for Applications, “Engineered Nanomaterials: Linking Physical and Chemical Properties to Biology” is provided in the “For More Information” section at the end of this article.
For More Information:
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