Posted in | News | Nanomedicine

NSF Awards UCLA $1 Million Grant for Quantification and Automated Characterization of Nanoparticles

Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) have won a $1 million, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation for on-site and ubiquitous quantification and automated characterization of nanoparticles found in homes, workplaces and the environment.

Professor Aydogan Ozcan. Credit: Joanne Leung

Nanoparticles — bits of metals or other materials that are far tinier than individual blood cells — are increasingly being used in personal care products, cleaning supplies and other items because they have properties that improve the products’ performance or longevity. But the health and environmental impacts of nanoparticles are poorly understood.

Led by Aydogan Ozcan, Chancellor’s Professor of Electrical Engineering and Bioengineering, UCLA researchers will use lightweight, portable and cost-effective imaging devices that can quantify and characterize nano-size objects without relying on bulky and expensive lab equipment.

The research will build upon the sophisticated and inexpensive imaging devices Ozcan’s lab has been developing for a variety of medical, scientific and other metrology applications, including cellphone attachments capable of detecting disease biomarkers in bodily fluids, allergens in small food samples, and the presence of disease or malnourishment in field crops.

The grant is one of 10 announced Sept. 14 by the NSF to develop and integrate “smart” technologies into energy, transportation and other systems that have major impacts on environmental and public health.

“More and more, nanoparticles are being used in commercial products and industrial processes, even though their implications for health and environmental safety still are being debated,” said Ozcan, who also is an associate director of CNSI. “Developing a sensitive and yet field-portable, inexpensive method to detect the presence, spatio-temporal distribution and concentration of nanoparticles in air and water — whether at home, at work or in public spaces — is a high priority at a global scale.”

Ozcan’s team will use computational imaging systems based on complementary metal-oxide semiconductor sensor chips and other microscopy platforms developed for mobile phones.

Mihaela van der Schaar, a Chancellor’s Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA, is also a co-investigator on the research.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    University of California, Los Angeles. (2019, February 11). NSF Awards UCLA $1 Million Grant for Quantification and Automated Characterization of Nanoparticles. AZoNano. Retrieved on October 08, 2024 from https://www.azonano.com/news.aspx?newsID=33725.

  • MLA

    University of California, Los Angeles. "NSF Awards UCLA $1 Million Grant for Quantification and Automated Characterization of Nanoparticles". AZoNano. 08 October 2024. <https://www.azonano.com/news.aspx?newsID=33725>.

  • Chicago

    University of California, Los Angeles. "NSF Awards UCLA $1 Million Grant for Quantification and Automated Characterization of Nanoparticles". AZoNano. https://www.azonano.com/news.aspx?newsID=33725. (accessed October 08, 2024).

  • Harvard

    University of California, Los Angeles. 2019. NSF Awards UCLA $1 Million Grant for Quantification and Automated Characterization of Nanoparticles. AZoNano, viewed 08 October 2024, https://www.azonano.com/news.aspx?newsID=33725.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this news story?

Leave your feedback
Your comment type
Submit

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.