THE PROJECT, MONTH BY MONTH

NanoBreak presented its latest work on how different exposure routes influence the biodistribution and cardiovascular toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics in zebrafish embryos, alongside sessions on advanced imaging, automated microscopy and spatial multi-omics.

Katja Kološa, PhD and Marta Sendra, PhD worked on organoid culture, experimental set-up, treatments and real-time observation, combining careful sample preparation with microscopy and hands-on laboratory work using CelVivo bioreactor technology.

Confocal microscopy and live-imaging sessions on human cell models and zebrafish embryos, following particle exposure from the single cell to the whole developing organism. A selection of this imagery is published on the project page.

The NanoBreak team took part in the CutCancer Final Conference, hosted at the National Institute of Biology — two days of sharing ideas and connecting with research groups working on advanced in vitro models.

The team went out to collect micro- and nanoplastics from the shoreline of Slovenian Istria. Weathered plastic debris gathered on European coasts is the starting material for the environmentally derived nanoplastics used throughout the project.

Oral presentation and invited lecture: Using zebrafish to uncover the mechanisms of nanoplastics interaction and toxicity. Human exposure to nanoplastics is an emerging health concern, yet the biological effects of different sizes and exposure routes remain poorly understood.