What is ACEnano
ACEnano will introduce confidence, adaptability and clarity into nanomaterial risk assessment by developing a widely implementable and robust tiered approach to nanomaterials physicochemical characterisation that will simplify and facilitate contextual (hazard or exposure) description and its transcription into a reliable nanomaterials grouping framework.
This will be achieved by the creation of a “conceptual toolbox” including a tiered approach to cost efficient nanomaterials analysis that will facilitate decision-making in choice of techniques and SOPs, linked to a characterisation ontology framework for grouping and risk assessment.
ACEnano will initiate activities to support data collection, management, interpretation and delivery to a data warehouse for safe use & storage. It will thus underpin the future of nanomaterial quality control, labelling and anti-counterfeiting.
Expected impacts
- Enable the identification of key descriptors that can be used to reveal correlations associated with health & environmental impacts and meaningful basis for grouping, read-across and QSARs purposes
- Increased confidence in nanosafety studies and findings through sound physico-chemical characterisation methods and standard operating procedures
- Reduced costs related to the physico-chemical characterisation of nanomaterials in relevant environments
- On top of safety related objectives, proposals should seek synergies with applications of the methods in other areas such as quality control, product traceability, labelling and counterfeiting
Main objectives
- To innovate in a carefully selected and appropriate set of analytical techniques, instrumentation and equipment for the testing of NM properties/descriptors to provide a one-stop solution to nanomaterial characterization: ACEnano toolbox
- To optimise the existing techniques/instrumentation, miniaturise and simplify where possible and support their use by SMEs through training and documentation
- To benchmark key components of the ACEnano toolbox and set criteria for future benchmarking of further components
- To link the methodological advancements of ACEnano to a mechanistic ontology framework
- To embed all above into a quality assurance and risk assessment framework
- To ensure dissemination and exploitation of the ACEnano project and its innovations and outcomes
- To embody the vision of the European Union and United Nations for sustainability by participating in the preventive effort to substantially reduce the impact of nanomaterials on individual health and on the environment