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ENKORE is a cluster of five research projects from the call HORIZON-HLTH-2023-ENVHLTH-02-03 “Health impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals: bridging science-policy gaps by addressing persistent scientific uncertainties”. The cluster aims to strengthen collaboration, avoid duplication and increase the impact of the individual projects.
These five EU projects are working on assessing the health impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals
EDC-MASLD will investigate the impact of environmental exposure to EDCs on the internal exposome (metabolome, gut microbiome, epigenome, proteome, immunome) and the degree of liver damage in MASLD – the condition of excessive accumulation of liver fat unrelated to alcohol intake, ranging from simple steatosis to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. EDC-MASLD is particularly focused on interactions between EDC exposure, sex, genotype, diet, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, via the data and biosamples available in the unique European NAFLD Registry, comprising over 9,000 patients with histologically characterised MASLD.
The ENDOMIX project addresses the urgent need to understand the true impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on human health to inform regulators and advise citizens. ENDOMIX will tackle this challenge by revealing associations and causality between EDCs and adverse health outcomes by focusing on exposure to multiple EDCs during life course including windows of susceptibility and making use of already existing robust data from multiple European cohorts. The knowledge generated will be disseminated to the scientific community, provide a thorough new evidence base for policy making and will reach citizens to raise awareness about the risks of EDC exposure.
HYPIEND is one of the first projects to study EDCs effects on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis using a multidisciplinary approach, including preclinical models and two European-wide clinical studies. The findings will be used to delineate interventional strategies for minimizing EDC exposure and consequences on the neuroendocrine system in pregnant and breastfeeding women and perinatal and pre-pubertal children.
MERLON aims to improve our knowledge of how exposure to EDCs at critical life stages impacts human sexual development and reproductive health. It brings together scientists, medical practitioners, communicators, and policy advocates across Europe to improve on and develop new tools to better identify and, ultimately, regulate these substances. MERLON’s overarching objective is to provide chemical risk assessors and regulators with updated knowledge and tools to regulate EDCs and safeguard the reproductive health of present and future generations
NEMESIS addresses the adverse metabolic effects of EDCs through a multidisciplinary approach and responds to unmet regulatory needs regarding EDCs. NEMESIS aims to elucidate the mechanisms and dose-dependency of metabolic disruption by EDCs and their mixtures in liver and pancreas as well as their effects on gut microbiota through in silico, in vitro, in vivo, epidemiological and systems biology approaches. The consortium will support risk assessment by improving regulatory testing guidelines by incorporating metabolic endpoints and developing AOPs and IATAs. Engagement with citizens and stakeholders ensures effective risk communication and maximizes the impact of NEMESIS on policy development.
