• Project number: F2596
• Institution: Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA)
• Status: Ongoing Project
• Planned end: 2029-09-30

Description:

If fibers are inhaled into the lungs and cannot be broken down by the immune system, this can pose a health risk. The project therefore focuses on developing new methods to better understand which types of fibers are particularly difficult to degrade. To achieve this, researchers investigate how the mobility and shape of cells change when they come into contact with such fibers. The resulting data is automatically analysed using artificial intelligence. This involves observing cell behavior in microscopic time-lapse recordings and identifying correlations with fiber properties such as length and rigidity.

The project’s findings can help reduce animal testing and enable the development of cost-effective and reliable alternatives for assessing chemical substances. In the long term, the goal is to establish a standardised, animal-free test for evaluating the health risks posed by fibers. Additionally, the project promotes digitalization and automation in chemical safety. The methods developed and the insights gained also hold broad potential for further scientific and industrial applications.