Phase II CREST Interdisciplinary Nanotoxicity Center

在国家科学基金会的支持下，杰克逊州立大学将继续发展跨学科纳米毒性中心。该中心的目标是提高对纳米材料的基本性质和环境特征、毒性和应用的认识。迫切需要研究纳米材料的潜在毒性，并提出高效、快速和廉价的计算方法来预测新物种的毒性。了解人造纳米材料的结构、特性和生物活性对于预测其对环境和人类健康的影响至关重要。纳米颗粒暴露是常见的，但短期和长期暴露的影响目前还不完全清楚，特别是因为原始和团聚体尺寸，表面积和表面特征起着如此重要的作用。相反，纳米技术也可以用来制造具有重要社会效益的新型纳米药物、传感器、污染物过滤器和催化剂。跨学科纳米毒性中心专注于两个研究子项目：解决纳米材料的发现和部署。子项目1侧重于多功能纳米粒子及其模型对应物：结构，性质，与环境的相互作用和应用。本项目旨在系统研究金属和半导体纳米粒子及其生物偶联物在不同环境下的结构、能量学和光学特性。设计和开发基于多功能环境安全磁核-等离子体壳纳米粒子选择性检测水中有毒病原体的方法，并研究多功能纳米粒子选择性去除饮用水中有毒病原体的可能性。子项目2研究纳米颗粒的毒性作为环境因素的功能：实验研究和计算模型，包括纳米材料开发和生产的不同方面以及对其毒性的研究。总体目标是开发一个操作模型，指导绿色金属氧化物纳米颗粒的生产，并通过使用控制尺寸和形状的工程金属氧化物纳米颗粒在选定的环境条件下进行体外和体内毒理学研究。此外，还进行了计算研究，以开发可靠的计算模型，有效地预测纳米材料的物理化学特性和毒性。这两个研究领域紧密相连，旨在提高对纳米材料的基本性质和环境特征、毒性和应用的认识。该中心采用通用设计学习模式，以最大限度地提高不同学生群体的学习成果。

Interdisciplinary Nanotoxicity CenterWith National Science Foundation support, Jackson State University will continue development of the Interdisciplinary Nanotoxicity Center. The Center goal is to enhance knowledge of basic properties and environmental characteristics, toxicity, and applications of nanomaterials. There is a compelling need for studying potential toxicity of nanomaterials and advancing efficient, fast and inexpensive computational approaches to predict toxicity of new species. Understanding of structures, characteristics and biological activities of man-made nanomaterials is critical to prediction of their impacts on the environment and human health. Nanoparticle exposure is common, but short- and long-term exposure effects are currently not fully understood, especially since the primary and agglomerate sizes, surface area, and the characteristics of the surface play such important roles. Conversely, nanotechnology can also be used to create new nanomedicines, sensors, pollutant filters and catalysts with important societal benefits.The Interdisciplinary Nanotoxicity Center focuses on two research subprojects: addressing nanomaterials discovery and deployment. Subproject 1 focuses on multifunctional nanoparticles and their model counterparts: structures, properties, interaction with environment and applications. The aim of this project is to systematically study structure, energetics and optics of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles and their bioconjugates in various environments. Multifunctional environmental safe magnetic core-plasmonic shell nanopaticle based assay for the detection of toxic pathogens selectively from water will be designed and developed, and the possible use of multifunctional nanoparticles for selective removal of toxic pathogens from drinking water is investigated. Subproject 2 investigates toxicity of nanoparticles as a function of environmental factors: experimental studies and computational modeling to include different aspects of the development and production of nanomaterials and investigation of their toxicity. The overarching goal is to develop an operational model for directing production of green metal oxide nanoparticles and to conduct in vitro and in vivo toxicological studies under selected environmental conditions by using engineered metal oxide nanoparticles of controlled size and shape. In addition, computational studies are carried out to develop reliable computational models effective for prediction of physico-chemical characteristics and toxicity of nanomaterials. Both research areas are strongly interconnected and designed to enhance knowledge of basic properties and environmental characteristics, toxicity, and applications of nanomaterials. The Center utilizes the Universal Design for Learning model to maximize learning outputs of diverse student populations.