Project Newsletter | 2025 | extra event issue

Event summary

Dear HEDIMED community, thank you all for participating in our event!

We successfully delivered an overview of our project’s research results, achievements in technology, and implications for policy making. Over 100 participants from 28 countries around the world attended the event, including researchers from universities, public health organizations and industry. This demonstrates the demand and relevance of exposome-related science and input into policymaking.

Let’s recap!

Value of Exposomic Research for Disease Prevention

  • The exposome, encompassing all environmental exposures from conception onward, is crucial in understanding the rising incidence of immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) like type 1 diabetes (T1D), celiac disease, asthma, and allergies.
  • Genetic predisposition alone cannot explain these trends; environmental factors, particularly in early life, play a decisive role.
  • Cohort Integration: HEDIMED leveraged numerous European longitudinal and prospective birth cohorts to gather rich biospecimens and environmental data.

Key Scientific Findings

Environmental Biodiversity and Microbiome (Aki Sinkkonen, Natural Resources Institute, Finland)

  • Contact with biodiverse environments (e.g., soil, plants) supports immune regulation.
  • Intervention trials (e.g., rewilded daycare yards) showed improved immune markers in children.
  • Long-term trials are ongoing to assess disease incidence impacts.

Infections and IMDs (Heikki Hyöty, Tampere University, Finland)

  • Certain viruses (e.g., enteroviruses, parechoviruses) are linked to increased risk of celiac disease and type 1 diabetes.
  • Prenatal infections and inflammation may influence later IMD development.
  • Multi-omics approaches (e.g., virome, metabolome, transcriptome) are used to explore mechanisms.

Chemical Exposures (Panu Rantakokko, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)

  • PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are immune-disrupting chemicals.
  • Exposure levels have declined due to regulations, but legacy exposures remain a concern.
  • No strong association found yet between PFAS and IMDs in current cohorts, but further analysis is ongoing.

Shared Exposomic Determinants (Ketil Størdal, Norwegian Institute of Public Health)

  • Co-occurrence of IMDs suggests shared environmental and genetic risk factors.
  • Geographic gradients (e.g., higher IMD incidence in northern regions) support environmental influence.
  • Green space exposure and microbiome diversity are protective factors.

Novel Tools and Technologies

Multiplex Assays (Petri Saviranta, VTT, Finland)

  • VTT developed a high-throughput platform to detect antibodies against 40+ microbes from small blood samples.
  • Enables large-scale exposome screening in cohort studies to capture exposomic profiles.
  • Satellite data use for environmental characterisation around children’s homes to help explain early life exposure.

Portable Biosensors (Loïc Burr & Silvia Demuru, CSEM, Switzerland)

  • CSEM developed a low-cost, portable fluorescence reader for allergen screening.
  • Enables point-of-care diagnostics and broader access to testing.

Data Platforms (Juha Pajula, VTT; Apostolia Karabatea, Gnomon, Greece)

  • VTT and Gnomon developed secure, user-friendly platforms for exposomic data analysis and visualization.
  • Public dashboards allow stakeholders to explore findings interactively.
  • Integration with European Health Data Space (EHDS) is a future goal.

Screening and Prevention Models

Celiac Disease Screening (Jani Mäkinen, Tampere University)

  • presented a cost-effectiveness model comparing multiple strategies for screening children for celiac disease
  • Most cost-effective: single-time antibody screening at age 11.
  • Repeated screening at ages 4 and 11 also showed good outcomes, especially when combined with HLA genotyping.

T1D Preventive Interventions (Heikki Hyöty, Tampere University)

  • presented modelling results on potential impacts of:
  • Primary prevention (e.g., enterovirus vaccination).
  • Secondary prevention (e.g., immunomodulatory treatments).
  • Their combination showed the strongest reduction in T1D incidence.

Policy Frameworks and the EHDS

Irini Kessissoglou (DG SANTE) introduced the European Health Data Space (EHDS)

  • Aims to facilitate secondary use of health data for research, innovation, and policymaking.
  • Establishes a federated infrastructure ensuring patient data privacy while enabling data access for public interest research.
  • Important regulatory shift: post-2029, reuse of data will not require individual consent if patients have not opted out.

Panel Discussion Themes

On the panel were: Gabriele Berg (Graz University of Technology, Austria), Juha Pajula (VTT, Finland), Kalle Kurppa (Tampere University, Finland), Hanna Haveri (Päijät-Häme Well-being County, Finland), Tiina Vitikainen (Finnish Allergy, Skin and Asthma Federation), Helka-Liisa Hentilä (Oulu University, Finland)

  • Stakeholders discussed the policy relevance of exposomic research and how to translate findings into health systems and environmental planning.
  • Acknowledged the need for ongoing communication, better data infrastructures, new technologies, and citizen involvement.

Recommendations

  • Integrate exposome insights into public health policies, especially in urban planning, early childhood care, and preventive healthcare.
  • Support universal access to biodiverse green spaces, particularly for children.
  • Incorporate exposomic data into health surveillance and planning, using tools like the EHDS.
  • Consider environmental exposures in preventive care, especially for children at risk of IMDs.
  • Promote nature contact and dietary diversity as general health recommendations.
  • Use emerging tools (e.g., exposomic screening, microbiome analysis) cautiously but proactively.
  • Continue developing exposome models that integrate multi-omics, environmental, and clinical data.
  • Expand longitudinal cohort studies and intervention trials across diverse populations and climates.
  • Collaborate across disciplines (e.g., medicine, ecology, data science) to address complex exposomic questions.

Kind regards,

Hedimed Team & Heikki Hyöty (coordinator)

The European Human Exposome Network

The European Human Exposome Network (EHEN) is the world’s largest network of projects studying the impact of environmental exposure on human health. It brings together 9 EU research projetcs that address issues such as exposures to air quality, noise, chemicals, urbanisation etc. and health impacts. 

Read more about EHEN and see their latest news.

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