Navigating nanotoxicity: Unraveling nanomaterial-induced effects via multi-omics integration

The growing use of nanomaterials in industry and medicine raises significant concerns about their safety, particularly regarding their interactions with biological systems. Traditional toxicological methods, with limited throughput and mechanistic understanding, are increasingly being complemented by omics technologies. Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics provide comprehensive insights into the molecular mechanisms of nanomaterial toxicity and enable the identification of potential biomarkers. In addition, single-cell and spatial omics approaches are emerging as powerful tools to assess toxicity at the cellular and tissue levels, revealing heterogeneous responses and spatial distribution of nanomaterials. Despite their advantages, omics technologies face challenges in nanotoxicology, including large, complex data sets, integration difficulties, and a lack of standardized protocols. To address these challenges, we propose the development of new bioinformatics tools, multi-omics integration platforms, and standardized analysis processes to enhance research efficiency and accuracy. These efforts can provide a practical roadmap for integrating the application of omics technologies, including single-cell and spatial approaches, in the study of nanomaterial toxicity studies.