If we consider again the issues of nanoparticle transport and fate in animals and humans, then it is also relevant that apolipoprotein E
has been found to associate to some nanoparticles18. This has
potentially significant consequences for neurotoxicity and the
development of neurotherapies, as apolipoprotein E is known to be
involved in trafficking to the brain25,26. Thus, we hypothesize that it is
the nanoparticle-protein corona (besides size and shape) that actually
determines the final subcellular location of a specific nanoparticle
upon interaction with a cell and, thereby, the range of disease
processes that the nanoparticle can access1. Following on from this,
we propose that, in the future, nanoparticles could be classified in
terms of their biomolecule corona, which mediates their interaction
with cellular machinery. This would represent a truly new paradigm in
the field of nanoscale toxicology, and in the design of nanocarriers for
nanomedicine.