Troubling Consequences: Nanoparticles Found To Have Mysterious Effects on Unborn Children

Researchers are investigating how nanoparticles from various products and environmental sources affect embryonic development by disrupting placental function and indirectly harming fetal tissue, despite the protective placental barrier.

Human life begins with a single egg cell that grows into a human being with trillions of cells. To ensure that the highly complex development of tissues and organs is as protected as possible, the placental barrier keeps pathogens and foreign substances out. Tina Bürki and her team from Empa’s Particles-Biology Interactions laboratory in St. Gallen are investigating how this protective mechanism copes with nanoparticles.