Objective
Every year, millions of tons of plastic litter are reversed into the oceans, washed up on the shores or piled in landfills. There, plastics are degraded down to the micro and nano scale, and enter the food chain. Plastic particles can transport toxic substances, but the effects of micro and nanoplastics themselves on living organisms is still largely unknown.
Here we address a key step of this interaction: the interaction of nanoplastics with model biological membranes. We propose a computational study of the interaction between polymers of everyday use and model lipid membranes. Our main goal is to identify possible physical mechanisms of damage to the cell membrane induced by the interaction with plastic nanofragments.
Membranes can be altered in many ways: mechanical (membrane rigidity), dynamical (lipid and peptide diffusion) and structural (lipid order, area per lipid, membrane thickness). Even more interestingly, our preliminary results show that hydrophobic polymers such as polystyrene can influence the lateral organization of heterogeneous lipid membranes into ordered (rafts) and disordered domains. These changes are relevant as they can affect the functionality of membrane proteins and other constituents, therefore altering the overall cell functioning.
We will study the polymers most commonly found in the marine environment (polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene…) and model membranes of various compositions. We will model both the polymers and the membranes at a coarse-grained level, relying on the support of detailed all-atom models whenever necessary.
Characterizing the interaction of plastic nanoparticles with cell membranes is the first step towards understanding the physical and chemical basis for their toxicity in all living organisms – bacteria, plants and animals. Since plastics are nowadays ubiquitous, the project can have a great impact, on the scientific community worldwide and on the society in general.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MC-CIG - Support for training and career development of researcher (CIG)
Coordinator
16126 GENOVA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.