The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, celebrates their discovery of microRNAs—tiny molecules that play a big role in regulating our genes. This groundbreaking work helps explain how cells control which genes are active, a finding with major implications for health and disease.

Inspired by this Nobel-winning research, the iCARE project is using the microscopic worm C. elegans to explore how exposure to tiny particles, like nanomaterials, could impact health. Nivedita Chatterjee, a lead researcher on the project, explains, “By studying microRNA patterns in response to nanomaterials, we can understand how these particles may disrupt normal cellular processes. This knowledge helps us assess health risks more accurately.”

With artificial intelligence assisting in data analysis, iCARE is making strides in understanding how nanotechnology may affect human health. For a closer look at how this research unfolds, check out the full article by project partner INL on their website.

Picture: Nivedita Chatterjee, courtesy of INL