Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ATHLETE (Advancing Tools for Human Early Lifecourse Exposome Research and Translation)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-01-01 al 2024-06-30
Through our environment we are exposed to a cocktail of harmful and beneficial influences on health. The human exposome encompasses this complexity by studying the combination of environmental exposures throughout life. The early stages of life are particularly vulnerable to environmental hazards, with potential lifetime health consequences. Early life is thus a relevant starting point for exposome studies and an important window for disease prevention. ATHLETE aims to better understand and prevent health damage from numerous environmental hazards and their combinations (chemical pollutants, urban environment, lifestyle, socio-economic factors), starting from the earliest stages of life. The project will develop an exposome toolbox that can be used by researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders to evaluate the health effects of a large number of environmental exposures and underpin the development of prevention strategies.
WP1 has built a prospective Europe-wide exposome cohort by bringing existing and new harmonised data from 18 birth cohort studies together in one FAIR data infrastructure. It has also carried out the follow-up of the HELIX subcohort into adolescence.
WP2 has developed tools for assessment of exposures in different domains of the exposome. Both targeted and untargeted chromatographical methods to assess the chemical exposome have been applied to biosamples. New improved protocols for urban and personal/behavioural exposures have been, or are being, applied to the cohorts. Socioeconomic position and urbanization have been studied as determinants of the child exposome, showing inequalities from the earliest years of life. An overview of dietary sources of the chemical exposome and possible risk mitigation actions has been made.
WP3 has developed new statistical methodologies and strategies for advanced analysis of exposome data. In addition, it has developed several tools for data analysis as well as educational materials and courses on exposome data analysis.
WP4 aims to identify molecular events and biological pathways that respond to and interact with the exposome and lead to adverse health. This WP has generated substantive new metabolomics and metagenomics data. It has also developed a greater understanding of the influence of the exposome on epigenetic processes, and on biomarkers of aging. Finally, it developed new models combining different environmental and biological factors for prediction of poor health in early life.
WP5 and WP6 focus on the systematically characterisation of effects of the exposome on health and development from conception through to adolescence. These WPs have initiated exposome-health outcome association studies and published their first results. Examples include papers showing that mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals were associated with BMI trajectories, metabolic syndrome risk and worse motor function in children.
WP7 developed and evaluated novel, scalable and acceptable interventions to reduce personal exposures to harmful components of the urban and chemical exposome. The co-produced urban intervention was completed and found that feasible implementation and scaling-up requires structural changes to the environment. A Delphi consensus study and stakeholder workshop resulted in a policy briefing note. The co-produced chemical exposome intervention is underway with recruitment largely completed. A scoping review on interventions to reduce chemical exposures was published and recommendations were translated into a policy briefing note.
WP8 is estimating the societal impact of the exposome by calculating economic costs and morbidity impacts. A plausibility database summarizing the health effects of the exposome on children health was published and made available in the ATHLETE toolbox. It allows in particular to list environmental factors with strong evidence for an influence on children health.
WP9 has developed project communication material, tools and channels used for the dissemination of research findings and insert key messages in policy debates and implementation. It is also populating the ATHLETE toolbox with input from all WPs.
WP2 has developed tools for assessment of exposures in different domains of the exposome. Both targeted and untargeted chromatographical methods to assess the chemical exposome have been applied to biosamples. New improved protocols for urban and personal/behavioural exposures have been, or are being, applied to the cohorts. Socioeconomic position and urbanization have been studied as determinants of the child exposome, showing inequalities from the earliest years of life. An overview of dietary sources of the chemical exposome and possible risk mitigation actions has been made.
WP3 has developed new statistical methodologies and strategies for advanced analysis of exposome data. In addition, it has developed several tools for data analysis as well as educational materials and courses on exposome data analysis.
WP4 aims to identify molecular events and biological pathways that respond to and interact with the exposome and lead to adverse health. This WP has generated substantive new metabolomics and metagenomics data. It has also developed a greater understanding of the influence of the exposome on epigenetic processes, and on biomarkers of aging. Finally, it developed new models combining different environmental and biological factors for prediction of poor health in early life.
WP5 and WP6 focus on the systematically characterisation of effects of the exposome on health and development from conception through to adolescence. These WPs have initiated exposome-health outcome association studies and published their first results. Examples include papers showing that mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals were associated with BMI trajectories, metabolic syndrome risk and worse motor function in children.
WP7 developed and evaluated novel, scalable and acceptable interventions to reduce personal exposures to harmful components of the urban and chemical exposome. The co-produced urban intervention was completed and found that feasible implementation and scaling-up requires structural changes to the environment. A Delphi consensus study and stakeholder workshop resulted in a policy briefing note. The co-produced chemical exposome intervention is underway with recruitment largely completed. A scoping review on interventions to reduce chemical exposures was published and recommendations were translated into a policy briefing note.
WP8 is estimating the societal impact of the exposome by calculating economic costs and morbidity impacts. A plausibility database summarizing the health effects of the exposome on children health was published and made available in the ATHLETE toolbox. It allows in particular to list environmental factors with strong evidence for an influence on children health.
WP9 has developed project communication material, tools and channels used for the dissemination of research findings and insert key messages in policy debates and implementation. It is also populating the ATHLETE toolbox with input from all WPs.
WP1 has created an infrastructure that assembles a large, harmonised, prospective exposome cohort to make exposome data FAIR; this infrastructure also makes federated data analysis possible. New data collection has added prospective exposome data to the rich HELIX database with new measurements of exposures, omics, and health outcomes.
WP2 has applied novel exposure science tools for complete and accurate assessment of the external, chemical, physical, behavioural, and social exposome, and provided harmonized exposure estimates to the ATHLETE cohorts from preconception through to adolescence. Novel tools from social science and toxicology have assessed drivers and sources of the personal exposome, that will be highly relevant for development of policy recommendations.
WP3 has developed and improved statistical methods for exposome analyses for situations not previously covered. These include methods for longitudinal exposome data and outcome-wide data, analyses incorporating multi-omics data, and techniques and tools to perform non-disclosive analysis without sharing data, in order to enhance data protection.
WP4 has generated exposome risk scores and multi-omics signatures of biological aging and links these to child development, which moves exposome research beyond the state of the art and is likely to drive innovation in risk assessment and public health. Novel, linked untargeted metabolomics and metagenomic datasets have been generated in adolescents for the first time in a pan-European study. These data will have long term benefits for understanding the links between microbiome and metabolic mechanisms and child development, with possible new interventions arising.
The systematic exposome-health outcome association studies conducted or in progress in WP5 and 6 provide additional support to highlight the role of early-life environment on child health. Results of WP5 and 6 will contribute to further decipher the role of environment on health and development from conception until adolescence.
In WP7, potential impacts of the urban intervention include increased knowledge and empowerment of pupils, their parents, and school to change their behaviours to reduce urban exposures. Resulting new initiatives include a walking bus in Barcelona, which was supported with NO2 monitoring by ATHLETE, and the evaluation of school streets interventions in Bradford. Similar outcomes - increases in knowledge and empowerment – are expected for the chemical exposome intervention. The policy briefing notes that were created will help disseminate recommendations on effective and prioritized interventions and the development of a toolkit will help influence the adoption of effective interventions.
The plausibility database developed in WP8 is a unique resource that summarizes the current knowledge regarding the health hazards associated with the exposome in children.
WP2 has applied novel exposure science tools for complete and accurate assessment of the external, chemical, physical, behavioural, and social exposome, and provided harmonized exposure estimates to the ATHLETE cohorts from preconception through to adolescence. Novel tools from social science and toxicology have assessed drivers and sources of the personal exposome, that will be highly relevant for development of policy recommendations.
WP3 has developed and improved statistical methods for exposome analyses for situations not previously covered. These include methods for longitudinal exposome data and outcome-wide data, analyses incorporating multi-omics data, and techniques and tools to perform non-disclosive analysis without sharing data, in order to enhance data protection.
WP4 has generated exposome risk scores and multi-omics signatures of biological aging and links these to child development, which moves exposome research beyond the state of the art and is likely to drive innovation in risk assessment and public health. Novel, linked untargeted metabolomics and metagenomic datasets have been generated in adolescents for the first time in a pan-European study. These data will have long term benefits for understanding the links between microbiome and metabolic mechanisms and child development, with possible new interventions arising.
The systematic exposome-health outcome association studies conducted or in progress in WP5 and 6 provide additional support to highlight the role of early-life environment on child health. Results of WP5 and 6 will contribute to further decipher the role of environment on health and development from conception until adolescence.
In WP7, potential impacts of the urban intervention include increased knowledge and empowerment of pupils, their parents, and school to change their behaviours to reduce urban exposures. Resulting new initiatives include a walking bus in Barcelona, which was supported with NO2 monitoring by ATHLETE, and the evaluation of school streets interventions in Bradford. Similar outcomes - increases in knowledge and empowerment – are expected for the chemical exposome intervention. The policy briefing notes that were created will help disseminate recommendations on effective and prioritized interventions and the development of a toolkit will help influence the adoption of effective interventions.
The plausibility database developed in WP8 is a unique resource that summarizes the current knowledge regarding the health hazards associated with the exposome in children.