# IN-VIVO MICROCAPSULE MONITORING OF CARCINOGENS

> **NIH NIH R01** · INTERNATIONAL AGENCY FOR RES ON CANCER · 1989 · $119,061

## Abstract

As a step to reducing potentially carcinogenic exposures for the
gastrointestinal (GI) tract, novel semi-permeable magnetic
microcapsules are shown capable of revealing the presence in vivo
of carcinogen metabolites, nitrosating agents and potentially
genotoxic cross-linking agents; trapping is shown to be highly
dependent upon diet in an epidemiologically-relevant manner.
These versatile microcapsules could ultimately be used in
molecular and nutritional epidemiology; the present proposal is
focussed on establishing and validating them both for the
aforementioned agents and as-yet unknown endogenous DNA-
damaging agents.

In the next three years, this project continuation has three aims:

(a) To validate the microcapsule system in vivo using model
carcinogens, nitrosating and cross-linking agents, both regarding
adduct formation and its relationship to several biological end-
points within and exterior to the intestine.

(b) To further develop microcapsules containing target moieties
(nucleic and amino acids) that can subsequently be cleaved out
with their adducts for ultra-sensitive analysis (32 P-post-labelling,
mass spectrometry, etc.); this takes advantage both of
microcapsules as a stable vehicle for gut transit and recent
analytical advances for DNA/hemoglobin adducts.

(c) To apply the microcapsule to a set of GI risk-related
substances (fecapentaenes, N-nitrosated bile acids, cross-linking
agents) and utilise our discovery of dietary influence on trapping
of carcinogens.

Monitoring of the GI cavity is of high priority due to known high
risk, high exposure and seemingly facile, non-invasive
investigation, but no other method is available and so this
microcapsule system could have many future applications within
the GI tract (and e.g. environmental applications).  The
methodologies proposed above seem not to include any crucial
unexplored steps, and mainly consist of validation and extension
of preliminary work performed under previous support.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3178359
- **Project number:** 5R01CA039417-04
- **Recipient organization:** INTERNATIONAL AGENCY FOR RES ON CANCER
- **SAM.gov UEI:** HSMZYXZ7M358
- **Principal Investigator:** IAN K O'NEILL
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1989
- **Award amount:** $119,061
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1988-07-01 → 1991-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3178359

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3178359, IN-VIVO MICROCAPSULE MONITORING OF CARCINOGENS (5R01CA039417-04). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3178359. Licensed CC0.

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