Conference scene: Nanomedicine and nanotoxicology: future prospects and the need for translational factors for the combination of both.

The 9th Conference and Workshop on Biological Barriers addressed relevant questions in the field of drug delivery based on nanoparticulate carrier systems. This includes the possibilities to overcome barriers such as the skin, the air-blood barrier in the lungs or the mucosa in the intestines. However, of utmost importance is the potential risk that may be associated with the intentional or unintentional exposure to these nanoparticulates, not only for medicinal use but also in a broader context. Hence, the conference spanned topics from clinical in vivo situations and the need for new technologies to the usage of in vitro model systems to understand the interaction of and allow for the screening of carriers and materials without the need for animal experiments.