Label-free bio-imaging and quantification of polluting carbonaceous particles to assess their toxicology

Abstract

Unfortunately, up to now, researchers have been groping in the dark about the exact toxicological mechanisms of carbonaceous particles, since there is no available detection technique to adequately monitor these materials in biological settings. Hence, the first part of this dissertation focuses on the development of novel optical-based analytical tools, which allow readily qualitative and quantitative determination of carbon-based particles. In the second part, these novel tools are evaluated in different biological settings and the toxicological mechanism of the particulates is elucidated.