Nanosafety and Nanotoxicology: Current Opportunities and Challenges: 2nd Edition
A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Medicines".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 889
Editor
Interests: genotoxicity assays; cytotoxicity tests; DNA and chromosomal damage evaluation; comet assay; nanomaterial safety testing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues，
Following the tremendous success of the first edition of the Special Issue “Nanosafety and Nanotoxicology: Current Opportunities and Challenges: 2nd Edition”, in which a total of seven papers were published (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials/special_issues/MFU7OMWR0D), a second edition is being launched.
The rapidly increasing incorporation of nanomaterials into consumer products and industrial applications underscores the urgent need for scientifically robust and regulatory-relevant strategies for hazard identification and risk assessment. In recent years, extensive datasets on nanomaterial-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity have been generated, largely within European-funded collaborative research programs aimed at supporting regulatory decision-making. Nevertheless, significant uncertainties persist regarding the key mechanisms underlying these adverse cellular responses, limiting their reliable interpretation for regulatory risk assessment. In parallel, the experimental conditions commonly applied in cytotoxicity and genotoxicity testing, such as dose selection, exposure scenarios, and model relevance, are increasingly being challenged in terms of their suitability for regulatory use. Within this evolving regulatory landscape, the assessment of emerging risks associated with novel and advanced nanomaterials, including new material designs, complex nanoforms, and sustainable or biodegradable alternatives, represents a major challenge. To address these needs and support the safe and sustainable innovation of nanomaterials, the European Commission is actively promoting the revision and adaptation of existing safety assessment frameworks, alongside the development, validation, and regulatory integration of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). These efforts aim to strengthen the scientific basis of regulatory risk assessment and to facilitate its incorporation into OECD testing guidelines and/or guidance documents.
This Special Issue invites contributions that advance the regulatory assessment of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of nanomaterials, with particular emphasis on: (a) critical determinants of regulatory-relevant testing conditions, including the selection of appropriate cell models, the definition of maximum test concentrations, and the scientific justification of nanomaterial-specific positive controls; (b) the application of NAMs for in vitro cytotoxicity and genotoxicity testing in support of regulatory risk assessment and emerging risk identification; (c) Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) approaches as tools for risk prevention and mitigation early in material development; (d) in silico methodologies, including QSAR models, grouping strategies, and read-across approaches, to address data gaps and reduce uncertainty in regulatory decision-making; and (e) criteria and frameworks for the efficient reuse of existing nanosafety data, in line with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles, to enhance their regulatory acceptance and applicability.
Dr. Cristina Andreoli
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- nanomaterial cytotoxicity testing
- nanomaterial genotoxicity testing
- nanosafety
- new approach methodologies (NAMs)
- safe and sustainable-by-design (SSbD) approaches in silico methodologies
- FAIR approach
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