NSF/FDA SIR: 3D Engineered Tissue Models for In Vitro Safety Testing of Nanoparticles

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract #1237549 Stegemann The goal of this 1-year Scholar-in-Residence project is to develop enhanced in vitro testing methods to rigorously evaluate the safety of nanoparticles, which are increasingly being used as components of medical devices. In response to this emerging need, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated efforts to characterize the biological effects of nanoparticles. In particular, the Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories (OSEL) in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) has a strong interest in nanotechnology and evaluating nanotoxicity. The PI's lab at the University of Michigan (UMich) has a longstanding interest in characterizing cell function in well defined and consistent engineered tissues composed of cells embedded directly in a 3D protein matrix, and also has been working on cell-nanoparticle interactions in these systems. Such engineered tissues mimic important aspects of the 3D environment of native tissues, and therefore have the potential to provide information on nanoparticle biocompatibility that is not available from conventional 2D cultures or animal studies.