Time: December 3rd, 16:00
Tencent Meeting: https://meeting.tencent.com/dm/fV6kthAqt1Fs
Meeting ID: 958 522 313
Password: 2233
Host: Prof. Chunying Chen
Title: Biomolecule interactions with nanomaterials: towards understanding of the “complete” corona and biological impacts of corona evolution
Speaker: Prof. Iseult Lynch, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham
Abstract:
It is increasingly recognized that interactions between nanomaterials and available biomolecules lead to acquisition of a corona of biomolecules around the nanomaterials that provides the particles with a biological or environmental “identity” and determines their subsequent uptake, distribution, localization and impacts on living systems. The nature of the acquired corona depends on the available biomolecules and thus will be different depending on the route of exposure (e.g., inhalation versus ingestion) and the organisms under investigation (e.g., mouse, daphnids, plants etc.). To date, there has been considerable focus on proteins, however, another important class of biological chemicals have been largely overlooked in the efforts to understand and predict the interactions of nanomaterials with living organisms, namely metabolites, which are also involved in signaling cascades and toxic responses in biological systems. Methods to explore both protein and metabolite coronas, and the protein-protein and protein-metabolite interactions involved in forming and stabilizing the corona are needed. Emerging research (led by colleagues at the NCNST) is also exploring the role of corona evolution, and shedding of proteins from the corona following uptake into cells is providing new insights into the indirect toxicity effects that can arise from nanomaterials, which can be viewed as another form of Trojan-horse effect. The role of the corona and its evolution in uptake and transformation of nanoparticles in a range of biological systems will be demonstrated in this talk, including in mediating nanoparticle transcytosis across an in vitro Blood-brain barrier model, in exploring toxicity and repair mechanisms induced in response to nanoparticle exposure in daphnia, and in mediating uptake and impacts of nanomaterials in plants.
Bio:
Professor Iseult Lynch is the Chair Professor in Environmental Nanosciences at the University of Birmingham (UoB), and she leads the Institute of Global Innovations theme on Environmental Pollution Solutions to develop and deliver innovative solution-focused research addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. She has a very broad overview of all aspects of nanomaterials safety assessment, with a research focus on the nanomaterial surface and it’s interactions with biomolecules (proteins, metabolites, natural organic matter, pollutants etc.) both in humans and in environmental species including Daphnia magna, and the implications of these interactions for nanomaterials fate and effects and organism responses.
She is a Clarivate Highly Cited cross-field Researcher, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and an Associate Editor for the RSC journal Environmental Science: Nano. She is active in updating OECD test guidelines for nanomaterials. She has been awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s John Jeyes award for Environmental Science in 2020, and the Society for Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology (SETAC) Outstanding Science Career award in 2021.
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