Research
Research conducted within the UC CEIN has been organized into seven integrated research groups (IRGs). This interdisciplinary structure allows UC CEIN to (a) create a library of nanomaterials; (b) understand the effects of nanomaterials on organisms and ecological systems; (c) characterize the mobility, persistence, and reactivity of nanomaterials in the environment; (d) design a predictive model of toxicology and environmental impacts of nanomaterials; and (e) develop guidelines and decision tools for safe design and use of nanomaterials.
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Compositional and Combinatorial ENM Libraries for Property-Activity Analysis |
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Molecular, Cellular, and Organism High-Throughput Screening for Hazard Assessment |
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Fate, Transport, Exposure, and Life Cycle Assessment |
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Terrestrial Ecosystems Impact and Hazard Assessment. |
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Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems Impact and Toxicology |
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Environmental Decision Analysis for Nanoparticles |
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Environmental Risk Perception |
Compositional and Combinatorial Engineered Nanomaterial Libraries for Property-Activity AnalysisTheme 1 will synthesize and characterize a library of standard reference materials (SRMs), to be supplemented with commercially produced nanomaterials (e.g., carbonaceous, metal, oxide). The fully characterized SRM library will represent a broad range of nanomaterial compositions, structures, morphologies, reactivities, and interfacial properties that will in turn generate a combinatorial nanomaterial library. This combinatorial library will serve as the basis for mechanistic (Themes 2-4), high-throughput (Theme 5), and deterministic modeling (Themes 5 and 6) studies designed to probe the environmental fate and transport of these materials as well as their cellular, organism, and ecosystem toxicity. |
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Carolyn Bertozzi | University of California, Berkeley |
| Freddy Boey | Nanyang Technological University |
| Robert Haddon | University of California, Riverside |
| Erik M.V. Hoek | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Ma Jan | Nanyang Technological University |
| Richard Kaner | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Joachim Loo | Nanyang Technological University |
| Lutz Mädler | University of Bremen |
| Ponisseril Somasundaran | Columbia University |
| Galen D. Stucky | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Sharon Walker | University of California, Riverside |
| Kang Wang | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Omar Yaghi | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Yushan Yan | University of California, Riverside |
| Zhao Yang | Nanyang Technological University |
| Jeffrey Zink | University of California, Los Angeles |
Molecular, Cellular and Organism High Throughput Screening for Hazard AssessmentThe goal of Theme 2 is to develop high throughput screening (HTS) approaches that can be carried out in tissue culture cells, bacteria, yeasts, and zebrafish embryos to develop predictive toxicology paradigms that relate potentially hazardous engineered nanomaterial (ENM) properties to adverse biological outcomes in cells and terrestrial and aquatic organisms. High content or high throughput screening is done in close collaboration with other themes to prioritize UC CEIN's ability to address important nanomaterials through expedited hazard risk ranking. |
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Gary Cherr | University of California, Davis |
| Arturo A. Keller | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Andre Nel | University of California, Los Angeles |
| André Nel | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Roger Nisbet | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Leonard Rome | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Joshua P. Schimel | University of California, Santa Barbara |
Fate, Transport, Exposure and Lifecycle AssessmentBuilding on the work of Themes 1 and 2, Theme 3 will generate the experimental data to predict the concentration of nanoparticles (NPs) to which organisms will be exposed in different environmental compartments, and the NP physicochemical processes that may have enviornmental implications, such as NP reactivity and its effect on environmental conditions. As with other themes, we have focused our studies on the metal, metal oxide, silica and carbon nanotube (CNT) nanomaterials that have been acquired, synthesized, and characterized by Theme 1. To achieve this, we have focused on experimental studies to correlate the key parameters that control NP fate and transport processes, such as aggregation, dissolution, attachment to mineral and biological surfaces, persistence, reactivity, and bioaccumulation and bioprocessing, with NP characteristics (measure by Theme 1) and environmental conditions (such as the soil and water chemistry in Theme 4 and 5 studies). We are initiating the generation of life cycle assessments for a few NPs in different applications beginning with CNTs and we also plan to develop methods to measure environmental concentrations of NPs, which are serving to evaluate the predictions made using Environmental Multimedia Distribution model, developed by Theme 6 using data from Theme 3 and other literature. |
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Bradley Cardinale | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Gary Cherr | University of California, Davis |
| Jorge Gardea-Torresdey | University of Texas at El Paso |
| Arturo A. Keller | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Roger Nisbet | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Joshua P. Schimel | University of California, Santa Barbara |
Terrestrial Ecosystems Impact and Hazard AssessmentThe overarching goal of Theme 4 is to discover and understand the effects of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) on terrestrial environments, with the aim to predict and avoid such effects. The societal drivers for studying effects on ENMs in terrestrial environments are: maintenance of ecosystem services (e.g. nutrient cycling, pollutant biodegradation, and plant fertility), agricultural crop production and food quality, and water quality (i.e. groundwater, used as a drinking water source). ENMs are expected to enter terrestrial environments in the U.S. mainly via land application of wastewater treatment plant biosolids; ENMs may also deposit to lands from the atmosphere (e.g. automobil exhause carrying nano-CeO2 from cayalytic converters) and from direct water-to-land processes (e.g. spills near manufacturing sites, painted facades, or personal care products released into recreational bodies of water). Theme 4 researches the feedbacks between ENMs and terrestrial environments and thus seeks to describe not only effects on organisms, but also bioprocessing of ENMs in soils and plants, whose results can inform ENM fates (the foci of Theme 3). |
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Erik M.V. Hoek | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Patricia Holden | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Ponisseril Somasundaran | Columbia University |
| Sharon Walker | University of California, Riverside |
Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems Impact and ToxicologyTheme 5 has a specific focus on aquatic (marine and freshwater) ecosystems. The overarching goal of Theme 5 is to address questions about the impacts of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) on key ecological processes that help to control the abundance and distribution of organisms in freshwater and marine ecosystems. Researchers test hypotheses involving individuals, populatons, and communities of flora and fauna that perform ecological processes that help to generate important ecosystem services, including the maintenance of biodiversity, water quality, food webs, nutrient cycling, and the provision of economic resources for humans. The work is conducted with studies of the embryos of marine organisms, wchich are essential for identifying possible adverse effects of nanomaterials on development in early life stages. Work in vivo and in vitro with organelles, cells, and tissues of adult marine animals provide insight into the responses of individual whole organisms and populations. This body of work has strong intellectual overlap with the work in Theme 2 and Theme 4. |
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Robert Damoiseaux | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Erik M.V. Hoek | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Hunter Lenihan | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Andre Nel | University of California, Los Angeles |
Environmental Decision Analysis for NanoparticlesTheme 6 will integrate data provided by Theme's 1-5 into a database that will be available to researchers and industrial partners interested in mobility and toxicity assessment and estimation. In addition, IRG will develop a tiered multimedia model that will serve to: (a) evaluate the significance of nanomaterial transport and exposure pathways, (b) rank the potential impact of nanomaterials in the environmental media, and (c) guide nanomaterial research and regulatory activities for the safe design of nanomaterials. |
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Yoram Cohen | University of California, Los Angeles |
| NCEAS Ecoinformatics | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| John Froines | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Francesc Giralt | Universitat Rovira l Virgili |
| Barbara Herr-Harthorn | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Erik M.V. Hoek | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Patricia Holden | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Hunter Lenihan | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Robert Rallo | Universitat Rovira l Virgili |
Risk Perception of Potential Environmental Impacts of NanotechnologyTheme 7 will develop new tools for surveying the perceptions of the risks to the environment of nanomaterials and nano-enabled products. The group will study the concerns of both targeted special interest groups and the U.S. public. Analysis of governmental regulatory structures, standards, and policies will enable Theme 7 to determine whether governance structures and social variables either amplify or reduce perception of nanotechnology's environmental risk. Additionally, meta-analysis of the risk and risk communications literature for relevant new technologies (e.g., chemicals, energy) with seemingly analogous attributes to nanotechnology will be conducted. Knowledge obtained from the surveys and analyses will support Theme 7's work with science journalists in developing a socially sustainable, environmental risk communication with the public. |
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Robin Gregory | Decision Research |
| Barbara Herr-Harthorn | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Nick Pidgeon | Cardiff University |
| Theresa Satterfield | University of British Columbia |
| Paul Slovic | Decision Research |