Robert Hurt (Project 4 Leader), Agnes Kane (Project 2 Leader) and former SRP trainee Cynthia Browning examined the toxicity of 2D nanomaterials. They reported their findings in an article, Manganese dioxide nanosheets induce mitochondrial toxicity in fish gill epithelial cells, in Nanotoxicology. The toxicological study examined uptake of MnO₂ nanosheets resulting in cytotoxicity and mitochondrial alterations in fish gill target cells in vitro. This study suggests that 2D MnO₂ nanosheets can impair the ability of fish gill cells to respond energy demands or prolonged stress.

Having completed her training with the Brown SRP, Cynthia is now working at the US EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.