We are pleased to announce the launch of the HORIZON ERA Fellowship project “Environmental Nanoplastics Liver Impact and Variability in Endogenous Networks (ENLIVEN)”, which officially started on 1 June 2025 at the National Institute of Biology (NIB). Funded under the WIDERA–Talents programme (Grant Agreement No. 101244206; https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101244206), the project is coordinated by NIB and hosted within the Department of Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Biology, under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bojana Žegura, who is also the coordinator of the HEU CutCancer project. The fellow carrying out the research is Dr. Marta Sendra, an excellent early-career researcher with a strong background in environmental toxicology and international project collaboration.
ENLIVEN is a research-through-training project designed to develop cutting-edge expertise in nanotoxicology, focusing on the health impacts of environmentally aged nanoplastics (eNPs). These particles are increasingly found in food, water, and air, yet their long-term biological effects remain poorly understood, especially regarding their ability to penetrate cells and accumulate in vital organs such as the liver.
Using advanced models such as human liver organoids and zebrafish embryos, ENLIVEN will explore the biological mechanisms underlying liver resilience, toxicity, and heritable effects of chronic eNP exposure. The project will apply a novel, integrative approach in predictive toxicology, combining single-cell combinatorial RNA sequencing, Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) mapping, and Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI) studies to investigate gene expression variability and susceptibility patterns.
ENLIVEN will not only advance the scientific understanding of eNP risks but also foster international collaboration, enhance the fellow’s career prospects, and support the establishment of a new research group in Spain. The project reinforces NIB’s commitment to excellence in environmental health research and the development of safe and sustainable solutions for emerging pollutants.
