A new method for measuring nanomaterials is described as fast, simple and inexpensive for measuring “the effective density of engineered nanoparticles in physiological tissues” (Science Daily). The Volumetric Centrifugation Method (VCM) was developed at the Harvard School of Public Health’s Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology by Glen DeLoid and colleagues, and published on March 28, 2014 in Nature Communications (DeLoid et al. 2014). The new technique promises precise assessment of actual nanoparticles’ doses within biological systems, such as cells or in the blood. Such measurements have presented a major obstacle so far, though the information is paramount for nanomaterial risk assessment, as it will enable actual dose-response analyses necessary for hazard quantification.
References
Science Daily (March 28, 2014). “Technique measures quantity, risk of engineered nanomaterials delivered to cells.”
DeLoid, G. et al. (2014). “Estimating the effective density of engineered nanomaterials for in vitro dosimetry.” Nature Communications, 2014; 5 (published March 28, 2014).
