NanoSAR: Linking the structure of engineered nanomaterials with their toxicity

There is increasing recognition that some nanomaterials may pose risks to human health and the enviroiunent. As the use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) and the ethical pressure towards non-animal testing increase, we are approaching the point at which it is impossible to individually assess the toxicity of a vast mmiber of ENMs. Therefore, there is a need to use time- and cost-effective methods to predict the toxicity of ENMs. In silico methods, such as structure-activity relationship (SAR) models, are considered as an alternative source of hazard information and their apphcations to nanotoxicology have received growing attention in recent years as the use of ENMs expands. This paper presents a case study in the field of nanotoxicology and demonstrates how SAR approach can be applied to model the relationship between the toxicity and physicochemical characteristics of ENMs based on decision trees.