Design and development of nanoparticles aiming agriculture and enviromental applications: a bilateral cooperation between UNESP/Sorocaba and HWU

• Grant number: 16/50196-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2016
• End date: November 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Agreement: Heriot-Watt University
• Mobility Program: SPRINT - Projetos de pesquisa - Mobilidade
• Principal Investigator: Leonardo Fernandes Fraceto
• Grantee: Leonardo Fernandes Fraceto
• Principal researcher abroad: Valeria Arrighi
• Institution abroad: Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Sorocaba. Sorocaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 15/15617-9 - Botanical repellents and nanotechnology: development of systems for pest control in agriculture, AP.R

Abstract

This proposal aims to establish cooperation between the research groups of Dr. Valeria Arrighi (Heriot-Watt University - UK) and of Dr. Leonardo Fraceto (São Paulo State University-Brazil) to develop new nanocarriers systems for bioactive compounds and also the evaluation of the cyto and genotoxicity of nanomaterials using in vitro cell lines. Also, after the development of the nanocarriers we hope to make the characterization of materials at the nanoscale, particularly exploitation of scattering techniques and thermal/mechanical methods to establish structure-property relationships in polymeric systems. In this context, we believe that the proposed bilateral cooperation will provide a research team with the required expertise to address a number of critical issues relating to the development of new systems and new-engineered nanomaterials for agricultural and environmental applications. We expect that collaboration between the Brazilian and UK research groups will not only lead to the development of new materials/formulations but also add knowledge to the field thanks to extensive characterization of the polymeric nanopesticides using advanced scattering techniques, and to investigation of the cyto- and geno-toxicity of these materials. (AU)