Bio-nano Science: Better Metrics Would Accelerate Progress

Abstract

An early step of evaluating a nanomaterial’s potential for biological applications is investigating its interactions with cells and biological fluids. These experiments generate complex data, which are summarized and analyzed through the use of metrics. Choosing appropriate metrics is thus critical to build a foundation for nanomaterial research. Unfortunately, several widely used metrics in the bio-nano scientific literature have significant issues and may not be delivering their intended insight. This perspective will label and discuss three problematic metrics in wide use within the field: Percentage Cell Association, used to measure the interaction strength between a cell and a nanoengin..