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H2020Doctoral network2016–2019

PANDORA · Probing safety of nano-objects by defining immune responses of environmental organisms

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2016-01-01 → 2019-12-31
EU contribution
€2,814,491
Participants
12
Scheme
MSCA-ITN-ETN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Probing safety of nano-objects by defining immune responses of environmental organisms

PANDORA aims at identifying the effects of nanoparticles on the immune responses of environmental organisms. The rapid worldwide development of nanotechnologies has fostered intense studies addressing the safety of engineered nanoparticles (NP), which enter in an increasingly larger number of consumers’ products and industrial applications and can be released into the environment. The effects of NP on human health are actively studied also in relation to the development of nanomedicine. The immunosafety of NP is a major issue for human health, because of the possibility that NP, even if not directly toxic, may alter the functionality of immune cells thereby posing significant health risks. Environmental nanotoxicology, on the other hand, has dedicated little/no attention to the effects of NP on the immune responses of environmental species, despite the central role of defensive immune mechanisms in ensuring the fitness of all environmental organisms. PANDORA has merged immunology, environmental sciences and nanotoxicology into a broader approach to environmental nanosafety aiming to attain a deeper vision of the problem, and to propose valid tools and realistic solutions.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

PANDORA (Probing safety of nano-objects by defining immune responses of environmental organisms) shall assess the global impact of engineered nanoparticles (NP) on the immune responses of representative organisms covering all evolutionary stages and hierarchical levels from plants to invertebrates and vertebrates. Immunity is a major determinant of the survival and fitness of all living organisms, therefore immunosafety of engineered NP is a key element of environmental nanosafety. PANDORA will tackle the issue of global immunological nanosafety by comparing the impact of widely-used NP (e.g., iron, titanium and cerium oxide) on the human immune response with their effects in representative terrestrial and marine organisms. This comparison will focus on the conserved system of innate immunity/stress response/inflammation, aiming to identify common mechanisms and markers across immune defence evolution shared by plants (Arabidopsis), invertebrate (bivalves, echinoderms, earthworms), and vertebrate (human) species. PANDORA’s objectives are: 1. To identify immunological mechanisms triggered by nano-objects, and predictive markers of risk vs. safety; 2. To do so by a collaborative cross-species comparison, from plants to human, of innate immune defence capacity, using selected, industrially-relevant NP; 3. To design predictive in vitro assays to measure the immuno-risk of NP to the environment and human health, as new approaches to industrial and environmental nanosafety testing. PANDORA will train 11 PhD students in an overarching training programme involving training-by-research, joint courses of technical, scientific and transferrable skills, participation to public scientific events, and an intense intersectoral networking exchange plan. The PANDORA consortium encompasses academic institutions, research centres, and SMEs, all with proven experience in higher education and training, and state-of-the art scientific and technical expertise and infrastructures.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE · RomaCoordinatorItaly
  • ALTA RICERCA E SVILUPPO IN BIOTECNOLOGIE SRLU · SienaItaly
  • AvantiCell Science Ltd · AyrUnited Kingdom
  • CARDIFF UNIVERSITY · CARDIFFUnited Kingdom
  • EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN · TuebingenGermany
  • FUNDACIO INSTITUT CATALA DE NANOCIENCIA I NANOTECNOLOGIA · BELLATERRA (BARCELONA)Spain
  • MIKROBIOLOGICKY USTAV AV CR V.V.I · PRAHA 4Czechia
  • PARIS-LODRON-UNIVERSITAT SALZBURG · SalzburgAustria
  • UK CENTRE FOR ECOLOGY & HYDROLOGY · OXFORDUnited Kingdom
  • UNITED KINGDOM RESEARCH AND INNOVATION · SWINDONUnited Kingdom
  • UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA · GENOVAItaly
  • UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI · LjubljanaSlovenia

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union