EXPOSIM aims to understand the impact of combined environmental stressors, such as air pollution, noise, and hazardous waste, on immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) and overall immune health. These diseases, characterized by abnormal immune responses, often lack effective treatments and require lifelong management if not detected early. The project will explore the effects of environmental stressors on IMDs at different life stages (pregnancy, childhood, adulthood), identifying biological pathways and molecular mechanisms involved. 

Through case studies and reviews, EXPOSIM will evaluate exposure-reducing and health-promoting interventions, focusing on vulnerable groups. Findings will be translated into policy recommendations and decision-support tools. The project will also foster scientific collaboration and stakeholder engagement, creating a user-friendly toolbox for policymakers, health professionals, and citizens.

EXPOSIM brings together an experienced consortium of ten European partners with expertise in exposome research, epidemiology, immunology, omics, data analytics, health economics, and social sciences. The project aims to promote healthier environments and improve public health across the EU.

The EXPOSIGNALZ project investigates the impact of environmental pollutants, labelled as "hazardous waste," on brain health and their potential role in dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD), which accounts for 70% of dementia cases. The project aims to uncover the mechanisms and time-window exposures linking pollutants to neurodegenerative diseases. 

Through experimental and epidemiological approaches, EXPOSIGNALZ has several key objectives: 1) Identify pollutants with neurotoxic and pro-amyloidogenic effects linked to AD using in vitro models; 2) Characterize pollutant signatures associated with brain aging and AD in four European cohorts; 3) Explore the mechanisms of these pollutants using AD models; 4) Investigate the impact of early-life pollutant exposure on neurodevelopment and later neurodegeneration; and 5) Disseminate findings to policymakers and the public to guide disease prevention strategies. The project seeks to identify new chemical risk factors and biomarkers for dementia, aiming to reduce or delay AD incidence, ease its social and economic burden, and enable earlier diagnosis with potential treatments to slow disease progression.

ENVESOME investigates how air, noise, light, and hazardous waste pollution contribute to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) throughout the human lifecycle. The project aims to strengthen policymaker knowledge on pollution-disease mechanisms using an exposome-based framework that integrates environmental monitoring, personal exposure data, and AI tools. 

By combining human biology, biomonitoring, and in vitro data, ENVESOME will identify adverse pathways linked to cardiorespiratory diseases, metabolic syndrome, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, sleep, and mental health disorders. It will pinpoint exposure sources and drivers of adverse outcomes to develop cost-effective mitigation strategies, validated through biomarkers and exposure indicators in case studies. 

Key outputs include policy proposals for targeted interventions, updated health guidelines, and tools such as a decision support system for policymakers, a chatbot for health practitioners, and a mobile app for citizens. Training will ensure widespread adoption of these innovations, enhancing public health protection and promoting effective environmental management.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) cause 80% of the disease burden and most premature deaths in the EU, reducing quality of life, life expectancy, and increasing healthcare costs. Environmental stressors, such as air pollution, temperature, urban noise, and food pollutants, have been shown to significantly impact health. By 2022, air pollution alone accounted for 311,000 excess deaths annually in the EU, driving conditions like heart disease, stroke, respiratory diseases, and depression. Emerging stressors, such as electromagnetic fields and light exposure, may also affect health, including ocular and dermatological conditions. 

The ENACT project aims to develop a comprehensive environmental risk score and analyser platform to predict, monitor, and prevent health risks from chronic and acute NCDs. This framework will support patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers by addressing individual vulnerabilities, improving prevention, and enabling better disease management to reduce the human and economic burden of NCDs while improving quality of life.

Air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM), and traffic noise are major environmental risks linked to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular and mental disorders. In Europe, air pollution causes 0.5 million premature deaths annually, while traffic noise leads to the loss of 1.6 million healthy life years. Despite these impacts, they are underrepresented in clinical guidelines, with European limits exceeding WHO recommendations. Key gaps include their combined effects, ultrafine particles (UFP), brain-heart axis signalling, and impacts on vulnerable groups.  

The MARKOPOLO project addresses these gaps using experimental, clinical, and epidemiological studies. It aims to identify biomarkers, understand molecular pathways, and improve exposure-response models using advanced Multi-omics techniques. By integrating societal and policy considerations, the project will enhance risk assessment, evaluate mitigation strategies, and deliver actionable guidelines to improve health and well-being.

The UPRISE project studies how air pollution, particularly ultrafine particles (UFPs) and micro-nanoplastics (MNPs), disrupt fetal development, increasing the risk of adverse birth outcomes (ABOs) such as preterm birth and associated non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in adulthood.

The project will develop databases and models to analyse UFP and MNP sources, concentrations, and dispersion. A clinical study with pregnant participants exposed to varying pollution levels will investigate mechanisms behind ABOs using transcriptomic, epigenetic, and mitochondrial mutation analyses. Key molecular events will be identified, and causal models will link pollutant exposure to ABOs.  

To support policymaking, UPRISE will create tools for sharing data and integrating findings into updated air quality standards. By quantifying the health impact of prenatal pollution exposure and providing evidence-based guidelines, the project aims to reduce the burden of ABOs and related NCDs.