23/07/2026
We are pleased to share our latest publication in the Journal of Hazardous Materials:
Food allergen binding to pristine PET nanoplastic and their effect on allergic immune responses in vitro
Our study investigated how food allergens interact with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoplastics and whether these interactions influence their immunological properties. We demonstrate that food allergens readily form protein coronas on PET nanoplastics, leading to enhanced uptake by monocyte-derived dendritic cells while preserving their allergenic activity. These findings provide new insights into how nanoplastics may act as carriers of food allergens and contribute to our understanding of their potential role in allergic diseases.
This work is the result of an excellent international collaboration and was supported by our IMPTOX and XPACT projects, together with our collaborative research with the Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra.
You can read the full open-access article here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389426014846
