Brown gets $1.8M science grant

Brown University scientists have been awarded a $1.8-million National Science Foundation grant to test a variety of “nanomaterials” and how they affect human and animal cells, aiming to identify potentially toxic compounds and structures.

Nanomaterials are microscopic fibers, spheres, crystals and films as much as 1,000 times thinner than human hair believed to hold major potential for a broad array of industries. Nanomaterials can already be found in sunscreens, concrete, tennis rackets, car bumpers and wrinkle-resistant clothes, and last year the federal government invested nearly $1 billion in nanotechnology, yet little is known about how engineered nanoparticles affect human health.

To fill the knowledge gap, the government is spending $38.4 million this fiscal year on environmental, health and safety research, including the Brown project.

“The question isn’t whether nanomaterials are good or bad,” said Robert Hurt, a Brown professor of engineering and the lead investigator on the new project. “The question is which are toxic? Under what conditions? And can we make and purify them in different ways to avoid toxicity – to make “green” nanomaterials?”

Hurt said nanoparticles have captured the imaginations of materials scientists and chemists because they have desirable properties such as extreme strength or outstanding electrical or thermal conductivity. However, a small number of animal studies show that some nanomaterials can damage brain or lung tissue or block blood flow.
To better understand which materials are toxic and which are safe, the Brown project takes a multidisciplinary approach.

In the Division of Engineering, Hurt and colleague Gregory Crawford are creating carbon nanotubes, fibers and spheres – all popular in electronics – by the billions. Crawford is arranging the materials on glass slides based on size, shape and chemical composition, a novel “chip” platform that will allow for precise, systematic testing.

The chips will then head to Jeffrey Morgan and Agnes Kane at Brown Medical School.
Morgan, a biologist and tissue engineer, will test the materials’ affect on lab-grown human skin cells. Kane, a pathologist, will test the materials on macrophages, cells that defend against foreign invaders, culled from mice. Both will check to see if cells die, incur DNA damage or trigger exaggerated immune defenses.

Phil Brown, professor of sociology and environmental studies, will explore the social and ethical implications of nanotechnology and how to communicate health exposure risks to the public, including faculty and students who work with nanomaterials in campus labs.