NASA-Funded Project Uses Nanoparticles to Assess Radiation Exposure

NASA has funded a $3 million project for a team of physicians, scientists, and engineers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to determine a means of detecting radiation exposure on the fly by looking for individual cells that have been harmed. The resesarchers are using a combination of nanoparticles and pulsed laser to see the individiaul cells as they zip past in the bloodstream.

Currently, cell counting is achieved by drawing blood and using a cytometer, a machine that can be operated only by a skilled technician. The researchers are looking for a sudden increase in the population of dead white blood cells, which is an indicator of radiation poisoning.

Individual cells are tagged with a nanoparticle called a dendrimer, which is smaller than a blood cell. The dendrimer is a synthetic that’s grown in layers of branching molecules. At the tips of the branches, scientists are attaching biomolecules that have specific affinity for white blood cells. Other branches carry a fluorescent material that lights up if the white blood cell dies.

The pulsed laser lets scientists watch a capillary blood vessel and count individual spots of fluorescence as they fly by. According to Dr. James R. Baker Jr., director of UM’s Center for Biologic Nanotechnology, “This could be used for more than just radiation exposure. We should be able to continually monitor cell death from whatever cause.” Baker is also part of the newly formed NASA Bioscience and Engineering Institute (NBEI) at UM.

NASA is concerned about radiation exposure as a leading health risk to astronauts. It’s estimated that a 2-1/2-year mission to Mars could expose an astronaut to the lifetime dose of radiation allowed by NASA.

Find out more at: www.umnbei.umich.edu