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Innovative method for testing the safety of nanomaterials on a “biomembrane sensor” system

Cells are the building blocks of life. But what happens when toxic material gets inside them?

Cutting edge studies at the University of Leeds have allowed researchers to create artificial cells. This may allow them to test hazardous materials without testing them on humans.

Our body is made out of cells and each of them has a specific function. A key part of the cell is the membrane that wraps around the outside and holds it together, like the shell around an egg. The membrane is made out of special molecules called “lipids”. Toxic material can attack the cell membrane, and if it finds itself on the inside it can also attack the machinery keeping the cell alive. Researchers of the University of Leeds have come up with an artificial way to form a cell and to test if a material causes damages on it.

The UNIVLEEDS team is now investigating how this technique compares to real cells, so that there is no longer the need to test stuff on “real” people.

Will Stokes (UNIVLEEDS) was the creator of this video.

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