Periodic Reporting for period 3 - HEDIMED (Human Exposomic Determinants of Immune Mediated Diseases)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31
Immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) are increasing rapidly in the developed countries constituting a huge medical, economic and societal challenge. The reasons to this epidemic are not known, but the exposome (environmental life-long exposures) necessarily plays an important role since genetic factors alone cannot explain such a rapid change. The HEDIMED project started in January 2020 with altogether 22 academic and industrial partners from 12 countries bringing their multidisciplinary and supplementary expertise together to identify exposomic determinants which are driving this epidemic (https://www.hedimed.eu/). HEDIMED is based on a combination of data and biological samples from pregnant women, children prospectively followed from birth, and children from clinical trials testing the effects of exposome-based preventive interventions. Also, HEDIMED includes organ culture models to facilitate the identification of causal associations.
HEDIMED focuses on common chronic IMDs that cause a significant disease burden, including type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, allergies and asthma. Exposomic disease determinants and the underlying biological pathways are identified using advanced technologies and datamining tools. Particular emphasis is paid on early fetal and childhood exposome since the disease process is known to start early. Inclusion of several IMDs makes it possible to identify determinants that are common for many IMDs facilitating the development of widely applicable treatments. HEDIMED generates a toolbox that offers various kind of data, new technologies, latest information, and functional tools for several stakeholders to facilitate the efforts to find ways to control the IMD epidemic. HEDIMED works also together with the other projects funded within the Human Exposome program call H2020 SC1-BHC-2018-2020 forming the European Human Exposome Network (EHEN), the largest scientific network in the world focusing on the human exposome (https:// www.humanexposome.eu/). HEDIMED is currently in an active research phase. You can follow its progress via the HEDIMED web page, X (former Twitter) @HEDIMED2020 and newsletters.
HEDIMED focuses on common chronic IMDs that cause a significant disease burden, including type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, allergies and asthma. Exposomic disease determinants and the underlying biological pathways are identified using advanced technologies and datamining tools. Particular emphasis is paid on early fetal and childhood exposome since the disease process is known to start early. Inclusion of several IMDs makes it possible to identify determinants that are common for many IMDs facilitating the development of widely applicable treatments. HEDIMED generates a toolbox that offers various kind of data, new technologies, latest information, and functional tools for several stakeholders to facilitate the efforts to find ways to control the IMD epidemic. HEDIMED works also together with the other projects funded within the Human Exposome program call H2020 SC1-BHC-2018-2020 forming the European Human Exposome Network (EHEN), the largest scientific network in the world focusing on the human exposome (https:// www.humanexposome.eu/). HEDIMED is currently in an active research phase. You can follow its progress via the HEDIMED web page, X (former Twitter) @HEDIMED2020 and newsletters.
The HEDIMED project explores the exposomic determinants which play a role in the development of IMDs including type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, allergies and asthma. HEDIMED has made considerable progress in this mission. The main exposomic factors that have been studied in all these IMDs include virus infections, microbiome, environmental microbiome, environmental toxicants, type of landcover in the living environment, diet, psychological stress and physical mobility. In addition, HEDIMED has studies host responses to these exposures. HEDIMED has made several new discoveries and innovations and developed new technologies for the evaluation of the role these exposomic factors in IMDs. The main achievements include:
• identification of research priorities of HEDIMED based on the HEDIMED resources and the existing knowledge gaps in the fields of type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, allergies, and asthma.
• detailed inventory of methodologies available in the different HEDIMED institutions
• detailed characterization of clinical cohorts and clinical trials, and mapping of data and sample resources available for various kinds of analyses.
• development of new analytical methods for the evaluation of exposomic impacts.
• continuing the recruitment of study subjects to clinical cohorts and trials, and collection of dedicated specimens for HEDIMED research.
• ongoing laboratory analyses of biological samples collected in clinical cohorts and trials.
• characterization of living environment using satellite data and analysis of environmental samples.
• analyses of the mechanisms of exposomic impacts in human organoids and cell models.
• ongoing development of the HEDIMED toolbox including the Internal Data Analysis Platform for robust data analyses from multiple cohorts and Public Platform for efficient dissemination.
• construction of system dynamic modelling tools for the prediction of the impacts of exposome-based interventions in the prevention of type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.
• publication of the results from these studies in scientific journals and research meetings.
• dissemination the research findings and participation in the public discussion on the role of exposome in human health via X (former Twitter) channel @HEDIMED2020.
• posting of blogs on project web pages on actual topics which are important for the understanding the mission of HEDIMED.
• publication of newsletters which are accessible via web pages and by email disseminations.
• construction and continuous updating of HEDIMED web page (https://www.hedimed.eu/).
In summary, HEDIMED has created a solid infrastructure for successful research, impact generation and communication for the coming years. The project is currently in active analytical phase generating new information about exposomic determinants of IMDs.
• identification of research priorities of HEDIMED based on the HEDIMED resources and the existing knowledge gaps in the fields of type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, allergies, and asthma.
• detailed inventory of methodologies available in the different HEDIMED institutions
• detailed characterization of clinical cohorts and clinical trials, and mapping of data and sample resources available for various kinds of analyses.
• development of new analytical methods for the evaluation of exposomic impacts.
• continuing the recruitment of study subjects to clinical cohorts and trials, and collection of dedicated specimens for HEDIMED research.
• ongoing laboratory analyses of biological samples collected in clinical cohorts and trials.
• characterization of living environment using satellite data and analysis of environmental samples.
• analyses of the mechanisms of exposomic impacts in human organoids and cell models.
• ongoing development of the HEDIMED toolbox including the Internal Data Analysis Platform for robust data analyses from multiple cohorts and Public Platform for efficient dissemination.
• construction of system dynamic modelling tools for the prediction of the impacts of exposome-based interventions in the prevention of type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.
• publication of the results from these studies in scientific journals and research meetings.
• dissemination the research findings and participation in the public discussion on the role of exposome in human health via X (former Twitter) channel @HEDIMED2020.
• posting of blogs on project web pages on actual topics which are important for the understanding the mission of HEDIMED.
• publication of newsletters which are accessible via web pages and by email disseminations.
• construction and continuous updating of HEDIMED web page (https://www.hedimed.eu/).
In summary, HEDIMED has created a solid infrastructure for successful research, impact generation and communication for the coming years. The project is currently in active analytical phase generating new information about exposomic determinants of IMDs.
According to the current paradigm, the human exposome plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases (IMDs). However, the exposome research that has been carried out in IMDs has had a narrow scope focusing on isolated exposures in certain specific diseases. In addition, only few studies have been able to address the possible mechanisms of observed associations. All in all, the current state-of-art is characterized by associations between isolated exposomic factors and specific IMDs but we lack the understanding of the “big-picture” and the exposomic determinants common to multiple IMDs, and the mechanisms and causality of these associations. HEDIMED consortium is a large distinctive and multidisciplinary effort, and the project is filling the knowledge gaps in the exposome for four common chronic IMDs: type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, allergy and asthma. In HEDIMED’s novel research approach all these diseases are studied simultaneously using latest cutting-edge technologies in the largest set of clinical birth and in utero study cohorts ever studied in the field. HEDIMED has created a research strategy to address the causal nature of exposome-disease associations by advanced analyses of mechanistic pathways. This is done using data from unique clinical intervention trials testing the effect of exposomic interventions on the risk of IMDs, and data from experimental cell and organ culture models. By studying multiple immune-mediated diseases simultaneously and on a mechanistic level allows for the identification of possible similarities and differences in the exposome for different IMDs. For example, pinpointing the same risk factor and related host interaction pathway in more than one IMD would be a strong indicator of causality. In summary, HEDIMED will push research forward by providing new knowledge and practical tools for the scientific community, policy makers, patients, industry and public and by developing innovative new approaches for the prevention and treatment of IMDs.