Exposomics in the Spotlight
How does the environment affect our health?
Research into the exposome, the study of cumulative environmental exposures over a human or animal lifetime, is taking the scientific world by storm. This week, an article was published in Science discussing its importance, goals, and positioning within health research, with contributions from Roel Vermeulen among others.
Why does one person get sick while another does not? Our health is not only determined by our genetic predisposition but also by environmental factors, which account for about 70%. Where we live and work, what we eat, how much we exercise, who we interact with, and the air we breathe all play a role. But how important are these environmental factors for our health, and how do they interrelate? Mapping this out sounds like a colossal, unfeasible task. Yet, more and more data and tools are becoming available to work on this, and more scientists are getting involved.
Crucial complement
This week, a comprehensive perspective article was published in Science by the Banbury Exposomics Consortium, including Roel Vermeulen. According to the authors, exposomics is a crucial complement to genomics in biomedical research. It integrates data from various disciplines and technologies to investigate how factors such as pollution, diet, and social stress affect health. By going beyond single exposure models and looking at the interplay of known and unknown risk factors, exposomics enables the discovery of new environmental factors that contribute to diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's, and diabetes. Advances in technologies, including mass spectrometry, wearable sensors and satellites, are essential to scale up the field.
"Collaboration and standardization, as well as ethical considerations, are key to realizing the potential of exposomics in disease prevention, treatment, and public health policy," says Roel Vermeulen. "In Utrecht, we are strongly committed to this, both with theoretical studies and research into practical applications."
Predicting effects
An example of theoretical deepening is the recent promotion of Caspar Willem Safarlou. He was the first to conduct so-called ethical parallel research and looked at exposomics research from an ethical perspective. A more applied study is that of Tabea Sonnenschein, who will defend her thesis on May 1st. Sonnenschein has shown that new computer models can contribute to better policy measures for urban planning. The models, developed with the help of AI, simulate the daily activities and travel behavior of city residents. They also predict the effects on air pollution and public health. Users can test various policy measures, such as environmental zones, the 15-minute city where residents can reach all essential amenities within a quarter-hour walk or bike ride. These measures sometimes cause unintended side effects, often unequally distributed across population groups. With these insights, policymakers can make better-informed decisions for healthier and fairer cities.