NANOMICO investigates how inhaled nanoparticles (NPs) alter the functional balance between the human respiratory epithelium and the lung microbiome, leading to inflammation, dysbiosis, and potentially the emergence of resistance to treatments such as antibiotics and steroids (R). The project builds on the complementary expertise of Prof. Sejal Saglani (Imperial College London, paediatric and translational respiratory medicine) supported by Prof Clare Lloyd (Imperial College London, respiratory and mucosal immunology) and Prof. Michael Schloter (Technical University of Munich, microbial ecology and multi-omics) to establish a mechanistic, microbiome-inclusive model of nanotoxicology.
Through a tiered approach—(1) controlled exposures in epithelial air–liquid interface (ALI) cultures, (2) experiments with defined microbial synthetic communities (SynComs) from a curated TUM lung-isolate collection, and (3) validation in human bronchoalveolar-lavage (BAL) samples, and primary lower airway epithelial cells from patients with severe asthma and recurrent infections—NANOMICO will define causal links between NP physicochemistry, epithelial injury, microbiome perturbation, and resistome evolution. Six representative NPs (TiO₂, carbon black, Ag, Pd, MWCNTs – multi-wall carbon nanotubes, and polystyrene nanoplastics) will be tested.
Expected outcomes include predictive biomarkers of NP-induced dysbiosis and drug resistance validated in human cohorts; robust exposure models for safer-by-design materials; and training of two doctoral researchers skilled across toxicology, microbiology, and systems biology. The 48-month project will deliver an enduring Imperial–TUM partnership and open multi-omics datasets supporting European air-quality policy and human-health risk assessment.