Novel analytical and computational tools for the assessment of exposure to environmental chemicals

Current approaches aimed at comprehensive assessment of human chemical exposure have considerable limitations, being limited to but a small subfraction of chemicals to which we are exposed to. Moreover, the health impacts of chronic exposure is to largely extent unknown.

This is in part due to the lack of enabling analytical and computational tools for integrative analysis of chemical (external and internal) exposures.

This project will bridge this gap, focusing on the development of novel analytical and computational tools for exposome studies and by doing so, has a potential to open new areas of investigations related to the studies of impact of chemical exposures on human health.

In the proposed project, we will develop a highly-efficient workflow: comprehensive profiling of human early-life exposure through both targeted and non-targeted screening of environmental chemicals and the metabolome combined with computational strategies that enable integration of external and internal exposure data with health-related outcomes.

The methodology will be applied to well-characterised prospective cohorts with specific health endpoints (type 1 diabetes, celiac disease), and the results will be accompanied with functional studies.

Our project will provide novel analytical tools and allow us to associate environmental exposure in early life to health effects, characterise the pathways leading to the adverse health outcomes and elucidate the combinatorial effects of chemical mixtures.