Nanoparticles: Regulatory Status and Research Opportunities

Engineered nanoparticles hold the promise of an amazing array of discoveries ranging from an understanding of how cancer cells are genetically altered to pinpointing specific locations of tumors which cannot be detected by current methods. Nanoparticles also have enormous potential as carriers of anticancer drugs to target brain and breast tumors. However, the potential health and environmental risk of these particles is unknown and only a relatively modest research effort is underway to understand it. This presentation will focus on current research efforts on nanoparticles, provide a summary of what we know about the potential risk, and provide information on the status of regulatory interest.