Descrizione del progetto
Studiare gli effetti della nanotecnologia sulle cellule vegetali
L’utilizzo di nanomateriali ingegnerizzati (ENM) in agricoltura, noto come fitonanotecnologia, agevola il rilascio controllato di prodotti agrochimici e il rilascio mirato di biomolecole per incrementare la resistenza alle malattie, l’utilizzo dei nutrienti e la resa delle colture. Il progetto PhytoENM, finanziato dall’UE, esaminerà i potenziali processi cellulari fondamentali coinvolti nella distribuzione di nanomateriali ingegnerizzati alle piante e determinerà l’uso sicuro e l’accettazione sociale della fitonanotecnologia. Ciò comporterà la valutazione dei potenziali effetti negativi, compresi i rischi associati al trasferimento di nanomateriali ingegnerizzati attraverso la filiera alimentare. A tal fine, PhytoENM svilupperà nuove tecniche di etichettatura degli isotopi per studiare i nanomateriali ingegnerizzati a base di metalli e la loro distribuzione all’interno delle singole cellule, portando a informazioni sulla loro potenziale tossicità.
Obiettivo
Phytonanotechnology (use of Engineered Nanomaterial, ENMs, in agriculture) supports the controlled release of agrochemicals (e.g. fertilizers, pesticides) and target-specific delivery of biomolecules (e.g. nucleotides, proteins, and activators) for increased disease resistance, nutrient utilization, and crop yield. Along with the groundbreaking potential of such techniques, one should be careful about their trophic transfer to plants. This topic has been rarely studied, compared to the toxic effect of ENMs in human systems. However, assessment of ENM toxicity to plant cells is critical to the implementation of nanotechnology in agriculture and support of global sustainability and the EC's European Green Deal. The proposed project addresses potential key cellular processes involved in the delivery of ENMs to plants and the safe use and social acceptance of phytonanotechnology, assessing potential adverse effects, including the risks associated with the transfer of ENMs through the food chain. To do so, novel analytical techniques are essential that could study metal-based ENMs and their distribution within individual cells. The development of Single Particle ICP-MS (SP-ICP-MS) is a new area of research which allows rapid detection and analysis of ENMs in a variety of matrices and applications, as it allows discrete pulses of positively charged ions to be detected and measured in a time resolved manner using microsecond data acquisition rates. PhytoENM will go beyond, applying the concept of Single Cell ICP-MS (SC-ICP-MS), where individual cells are rapidly analyzed for their particulate & ionic content, something that has not been done before in plants. The project will also use novel stable-isotope labelling techniques pioneered by the applicant team. This would allow the understanding of the interaction of metal-based ENMs in single cells spatially, and the related mechanistic pathways, leading to information on their distribution and potential toxicity.
Campo scientifico
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteins
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculture
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsnucleotides
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materials
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
B15 2TT Birmingham
Regno Unito