Electron Microscopy of Interactions Between Nanomaterials and Biological Systems

Owing to their unique, tunable physicochemical and photophysical properties, nanomaterials enable specialized applications not possible with conventional materials – for example, nanoscale sensing, molecular labeling, targeted drug delivery, therapeutic sensitization, energy conversion and storage, and pollutant detection and remediation. Among these applications, those involving biological systems depend critically on how nanomaterials interact with their surrounding environment. Importantly, these interactions are shaped by the interplay between intrinsic nanomaterial properties and the biological context. Therefore, high-resolution visualization and characterization of these interactions are essential for understanding their underlying mechanisms and guiding the design of nanomaterials tailored to specific biological applications.Electron microscopy has become a cornerstone method for investigating both nanomaterials and biological systems. Recent developments, particularly in cryogenic electron microscopy, volume electron microscopy, analytical electron microscopy, and the integration of complementary techniques as in correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) methods, enable increasingly advanced investigations of structure, composition, and organization at nanometer and sub-nanometer resolution. This collection aims to bring these areas together by showing how recent developments in electron microscopy can improve our understanding of nanomaterial–biological interactions and how nanomaterials can expand the capabilities of biological imaging.Nanomaterials are increasingly applied in imaging, medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, environmental sciences, and advanced materials engineering. Yet, their interactions with biological systems across different scales, from single molecules to whole organisms, are often still unclear, although this understanding is essential for the safe and sustainable nanomaterials design (SSbD) and lifecycle to protect human health and the environment. Electron microscopy (EM) is uniquely suited to elucidate such nanomaterial-biology interactions, offering unparalleled spatial resolution and analytical functionalities to visualize the localization, transformation, and biological effects of nanomaterials in complex biological environments.This Research Topic will bring together researchers working at the intersection of electron microscopy, nanomaterials, and biological systems. In particular, the Topic will highlight the complementary roles of nanomaterials and electron microscopy. Electron microscopy-based techniques can reveal how nanomaterials interact with and affect biological systems, characterize their structure, composition, and optical properties, and track their transport and transformation within biological environments. In turn, nanomaterials can support biological research and applications in diverse ways, including as nanoscale sensors, molecular labels, and therapeutic agents. Overall, the Topic will cover all aspects of nanomaterial–biological interactions, while also highlighting advances in electron microscopy instrumentation, methodologies, and workflows that enable or extend such studies. By connecting researchers across different areas of science and engineering, the collection will encourage exchange of ideas between distinct research communities, with the goal of advancing understanding of these complex interactions.This Research Topic aims to highlight innovative EM and correlative imaging methodologies elucidating nanomaterial-biology interactions at the molecular and cellular interface. We welcome original research, reviews, mini-reviews, methods, perspectives, and opinion articles covering topics including, but not limited to:• Electron microscopy studies of nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems, nanomedicines, and cellular trafficking.• Molecular and ultrastructural investigations of nanomaterial biocompatibility, cellular toxicity, and bio-nano interfaces.• Nanoparticle-based labeling, tracking, and contrast enhancement strategies for biological and chemical imaging.• Correlative microscopy approaches combining EM with fluorescence, cryo-CLEM, and multimodal imaging techniques.• Methodological advances in sample preparation, analytical EM, quantification, and data processing for bio-nanomaterial systems.• Biochemical and structural characterization of engineered or environmental nanoparticles interacting with cellular and tissue models. Topic editors: Dr. Vera Maria Kissling, Sohaib Abdul Rehman, Erin M Tranfield Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86021/electron-microscopy-of-interactions-between-nanomaterials-and-biological-systems