NEWGENERIS - Newborns and Genotoxic exposure risks
http://www.newgeneris.org
Development and application of biomarkers of dietary exposure
to genotoxic and immunotoxic chemicals and of biomarkers
of early effects, using mother-child birth cohorts and biobanks.
NewGeneris will test the research hypothesis that maternal
exposure to dietary compounds with carcinogenic and associated
immunotoxic
properties results in in utero exposure and subsequent carcinogenic
and immunotoxic events in the unborn child leading to increased
risk of cancer and immune disorders in later childhood. Specific
biomarkers will be developed and applied using high throughput
techniques. The project will use existing European mother-child
birth cohorts. New biobanks will be set up in different European
regions to generate specific information, and to collect
umbilical cord blood samples.
NewGeneris will address the following
objectives:
(1) Dietary exposure of pregnant women to compounds with
carcinogenic and immunotoxic properties will be calculated
from available
questionnaires from existing mother/child birth cohorts
(2) Epidemiological surveys of mother/child birth cohorts will
study associations
between maternal dietary exposure, and childhood cancer
and
immune disorders
(3) Paternal exposure to dietary toxins
will be considered
as an additional genetic risk.
(4) Transplacental perfusion
in vitro will be used to better understand in utero exposure
to
selected carcinogens and immunotoxicants.
(5) In cord blood
samples from existing cohorts and newly initiated biobanks
associated,
fetal exposure to these compounds will be analyzed, in
comparison to maternal exposure.
(6) In the same samples, genetic
pathways
indicative for risks of cancer and immune disorders in
later childhood will be studied by analysis of lymphocytic gene
expression and proteomics profiles.
(7) Interindividual variability
in
responses will be evaluated by genotyping of infants’ DNA, and by
phenotyping for DNA-damage and DNA-repair activities.
(8) Overall
public health implications as well as ethical and risk communication
issues, will be studied.
(9) Results will be disseminated through
repre¬sentatives from EU food industry, advisors, regulators,
and consumer organisations.
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ECNIS - ENVIRONMENTAL CANCER, NUTRITION
AND INDIVIDUAL SUSCEPTIBILITY
http://www.ecnis.org/
ECNIS is a Network of Excellence which brings together
some of the best European research groups in a concerted
effort
to achieve
improved understanding of the environmental causes
of cancer, of the potential of diet to prevent cancer and
of
the ways
by which heredity can affect individual susceptibility
to carcinogens, with the ultimate aim of reducing the
cancer burden in Europe.
In particular, ECNIS will focus on the utilisation
of powerful, biomarker-based technologies to approach these
goals. It
is of
great importance to support the development of new
biomarkers
as well as the application of existing and new biomarkers
in the context of molecular epidemiology studies. Such
studies
will be conducted on populations from different regions
of Europe
with different climates, pollution levels and dietary
habits, on a scale that is not possible under the present
conditions
of research fragmentation and one that makes an optimal
use of existing European cohorts and biobanks. Additional
research
objectives
of ECNIS are to facilitate progress towards cancer
prevention through enhanced understanding of the mechanistic
basis
of action of cancer-causing agents as well as of cancer-preventing
dietary
components (including the development of functional
foods), and also to develop and standardize procedures for
improved
cancer
risk assessment. In addition, ECNIS aims at identifying
knowledge
gaps, proposing new research directions and conducting
co-ordinated research. ECNIS will strive to link up
with the rest of the
European and world research community, generate training
opportunities
for new researchers and provide scientific support
and advice to stakeholders, including regulators, industry
and the general
public.
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Fund for Occupational Diseases/ European Social Fund
project: Development of an information system of the
chemical risk
in occupational settings
Chemical risks Partners:
The
aim of this project is the development of an information system
of the chemical risk in behalf of prevention
advisors, ministeries (for exemple Employment and Work
Public Health
Care) Foundation for occupational diseases and the
organisations, presenting
the social partners. In addition of the often quite
very scientific academic publications, the aim of this
instrument
is to offer
via internet- technology information, useful and
practical recommendations, fast accessible and up to date.
The
instrument focusses on the
toxicological aspect of obligations provided by the
Codex dealing with Wellbeing at work, often leading to
difficulties
in daily
practice. In some cases (for exemple the KMO's) the
difficulty consists of finding the information while
in other situations
the bottle-neck is to sort these, digressive information
and to substract the headlines or even to phrase
practical recommendations
for the medical follow-up of exposed workers.
At the moment two independent instruments were developped,
with each a special aspect of the chemical risk.
The first is a methodological
way of evaluation of the chemical risk compatible
with the prevention policy at the basis of the enterprises,
KMO's
included (REGETOX:
http://www.regetox.be) This instrument is developped
by the University of Luik. The second is an evaluation
instrument
of the carcinogen/
mutagen risk (Carcinogenic
Risk in Occupational Settings, CRIOS: http://www.crios.be developped at the VUB,
KUL,
ULg,
RUG, and
the UCL.
The current project is focused on the complementarity
of these two iniatives in a partnership with the
Fund of Occupational
Diseases.
The project “Chemical Risks” of the Federal European
Social Fund aims at the development of a strategy concerning
education and information about chemical risks for workers and
prevention advisers with participation of the workers and the
people of the hierarchic line. This project is composed by TOXTRAINER
(an education method- TRAINER- aiming at a better prevention
of chemical risks -TOX- in occupational settings) and by TOXPRO
(an information system about chemical risks www.toxpro.be)
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BELSPO project: Physico-chemical determinants of
toxicity : a rational approach towards safer nanostructured
materials
Partners:
Nanomaterials are engineered structures with dimensions
of 100 nm or less, which achieve unique mechanical,
optical, electrical and magnetic properties. Although
these materials
are already
widely used in different applications, ranging
from cosmetics and tires to medical applications, concerns
about their
effects
on human health, in occupational settings and
possibly for the
consumer and the general population at large,
are raised. A number of research reports have pointed towards
their
harmful effects
on different target organs, which include the
respiratory
tract,
the brain, the cardio-vascular system, the
skin and
the liver. Understanding how nanomaterials exert
toxic effects
and identifying
physico-chemical determinants of nanomaterials
toxicity are the main issues that will be investigated
in
collaboration with three
other research groups (UCL-TOXI, KULeuven-LUNG
and KULeuven-COK).
A single model material, i.e. silicon-based nanoparticles
(SNP), will be used to assess genotoxicity
and apoptosis in epithelial,
endothelial and mesothelial cells by a reverse
combinatorial approach. These in vitro data together
with the in
vitro data from the other research groups,
concerning the production
of
inflammatory mediators by macrophages and
platelet aggregation and coagulation, will be used
to
develop a paradigm for
SNP toxicity that will be critically tested
in vivo in two species
(rat and
mouse) with contrasting sensitivity. Additionally,
the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying
the response
to SNP toxicity
will be investigated, focusing on interactions
with the cytoskeletal proteins, induction of
aneuploidy, effects
on the DNA repair
capacity and on cellular trafficking.
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