Nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit special physicochemical properties compared to bulk particles. The difference in properties could, in principle, produce different effects on organisms. It is therefore... Show moreNanoparticles (NPs) exhibit special physicochemical properties compared to bulk particles. The difference in properties could, in principle, produce different effects on organisms. It is therefore important to determine the relationship between the physicochemical characteristics of NPs and their toxicity profile, by means of experimental testing. Experimental toxicity testing data can also be used to find the best dose metric for the responses induced by NPs, which was the purpose of the research presented in this thesis. Furthermore, this thesis aims to move forward from toxicity testing primarily in animal models to computational dose metric modeling. Show less
Nature__s own building block, peptide/protein derived materials have been of great interest for supramolecular chemists. The amino acids in peptides/proteins are linked via amide bonds, which makes... Show moreNature__s own building block, peptide/protein derived materials have been of great interest for supramolecular chemists. The amino acids in peptides/proteins are linked via amide bonds, which makes them more stable against degradation as compared to other natural materials such as oligonucleotides. Peptides adopt a secondary structure which is determined by their amino acid sequence resulting in a structure with a specific fold like a beta sheet, a helix or a random coil conformation.These secondary structures can govern the supra-molecular structure of the macromolecule to achieve specific function. Peptides can be short, such as dipeptides or as long as a small protein, which are able to selfassemble into a designed nanostructure and thus providing a wide choice of biomaterials for a chemical biologist. In last decade, peptides have been shown to have great versatility and inherent high affinity for their target to carry out various functions which is the scope of this thesis presented here. Show less
