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Thursday, 4th October 2007 (4333 views)

A new centre at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will utilise gold nanoparticles as biomarkers to study gene-environmental interactions in human diseases, including diabetes, asthma and cancers.

Specifically, the new Centre for Novel Biomarkers of Response will target the risk factors of obesity and cigarette smoke to identify genetic differences between diseased and healthy individuals and will measure the effect of personal exposure to various environmental agents, such as second-hand smoke.

Gold nanomaterials are one of several markers that the laboratory intends to use to amplify biomarker signals.

"Our challenge will be to understand how genes and the environment interact," said PNNL centre director and toxicologist Joel Pounds.

"To do that, we have to improve the ability to measure environmental factors at the individual level."

Prototype nanotechnology-based sensors for biomarkers are planned for development at the new centre, which will help scientists make more accurate measurements of the effects of human exposure to chemical, biological and environmental agents.

 

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