Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology

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HSPH Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology postdoctoral fellow honored by award

Postdoctoral fellow Antonella Marrocco was awarded the NAMSS Outstanding Postdoctoral Award RUNNER-UP from the Society of Toxicology Nanoscience and Advanced Material Special Section. Antonella joined Dr. Philip Demokritou’s Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology in the Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences group in June 2020 as a postdoctoral fellow to study the impact of engineered nanoparticles, … Continue reading “HSPH Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology postdoctoral fellow honored by award”

Fourth annual NTU-HSPH Susnano Initiative workshop and symposium

The Nanyang Technological University – Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health Initiative for Sustainable Nanotechology will be hosting their 4th annual workshop and symposium during the week of October 19-23, 2020.  This year’s workshop had originally been planned as an in-person event to take place in Boston, but due to COVID-19 it will … Continue reading “Fourth annual NTU-HSPH Susnano Initiative workshop and symposium”

October 1, 2020 – Antimicrobial zein fibers for biodegradable and non-toxic food packaging

October 1, 2020 – The global population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, and there is an urgent need to find ways to provide the global populace with safe and nutritious food, while at the same time minimizing the significant impact on the environment.  The WHO estimates that microbial contamination causes 584 million … Continue reading “October 1, 2020 – Antimicrobial zein fibers for biodegradable and non-toxic food packaging”

June 15, 2020 – Biopolymer-based Nanofiber Seed Coatings: A Novel Approach to Enhance Agrichemical Delivery and Seedling Development

https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c02696   The inefficient delivery of agrichemicals (fertilizers and pesticides) in agri-food systems is linked to serious negative environmental health impacts. More specifically, it has been reported that 60-90% of applied fertilizers and pesticides are lost due to evaporation, degradation, and environmental run-off. Much of this inefficiency results from an inability to deliver the active … Continue reading “June 15, 2020 – Biopolymer-based Nanofiber Seed Coatings: A Novel Approach to Enhance Agrichemical Delivery and Seedling Development”

May 28, 2020 – New COVID-19 related NSF grant: “Arresting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces and in the air using engineered water nanostructures enriched with de novo designed neutralizing peptides”

Press Release, Boston MA, 5/28/2020 – The recent COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has spotlighted the problem of transmission of infectious diseases. SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted to new hosts through both surface droplet (fomite) and aerosol droplet-nuclei transmission. Based on emerging data, this virus can survive in air for hours and on surfaces for days. Control … Continue reading “May 28, 2020 – New COVID-19 related NSF grant: “Arresting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces and in the air using engineered water nanostructures enriched with de novo designed neutralizing peptides””

May 28, 2020 – Special issue of NanoImpact highlights recent research efforts of NHIR Consortium members

Special issue of NHIR consortium research published in nanoIMPACT (ELSEVIER). The recent increase in nanotechnology applications has led to an increased need for research in order to safely, responsibly, and sustainably develop engineered nanomaterials. The Nanotechnology Health Implications Research (NHIR) Consortium was established in 2016 to focus on performing some of these studies on a … Continue reading “May 28, 2020 – Special issue of NanoImpact highlights recent research efforts of NHIR Consortium members”

 Nov 18, 2019 – Engineered Water Nanostructures (EWNS): A Novel Nanotechnology Based Method for Hand Hygiene

Press Release, Boston MA, 11/12/2019 The transmission of infectious diseases is a critical public health issue facing the world. In 2017, there were estimated 6.3 million incidences of diarrheal diseases and 17.5 million incidences of respiratory infections globally. These infectious diseases remain one of the biggest causes of mortality around the world. The pathogens responsible … Continue reading ” Nov 18, 2019 – Engineered Water Nanostructures (EWNS): A Novel Nanotechnology Based Method for Hand Hygiene”

Aug 14, 2019 – New article published in ACS Nano

Do immature lungs have air-blood barriers that are more permeable to inhaled nanoparticles than those of fully-developed mature lungs? Data answering this question and explaining the underlying mechanisms do not exist.  In this study, we exposed infant rats to gold nanoparticles and found that translocation of inhaled nanoparticles from air to the blood stream is … Continue reading “Aug 14, 2019 – New article published in ACS Nano”

Jun 3, 2019 – Our battle with microbes and infectious diseases: A major threat to global health

Our journey began with a burning question: How do we deal with the constant disease outbreaks and the emergence of antibiotic resistant microbes? The dangerous pathogens responsible for this are everywhere, in our offices, in hospitals, in airplanes, in our food. Controlling the spread of pathogens such as Listeria on food, Acinetobacter in hospital rooms … Continue reading “Jun 3, 2019 – Our battle with microbes and infectious diseases: A major threat to global health”