Das Projekt "Contaminant mixtures and human reproductive health - novel strategies for health impact and risk assessment of endocrine disrupters (CONTAMED)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Brunel University London, Institute for the Environment durchgeführt. Objective: Disruption of hormonal signalling in fetal life can irreversibly affect human development and reproductive health at a later age. Of considerable concern in Europe is a decline in male semen quality and a high prevalence of congenital malformations and hormone-dependent cancers. Although it appears plausible that environmental chemicals with endocrine activity may be involved in the causation of these disorders, there is no evidence for adverse effects of individual substances at relevant human exposure levels. However, there are indications that combinations of chemicals play a cumulative role. CONTAMED aims to explore the hypothesis that combined exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in fetal life may lead to adverse delayed impacts on human reproductive health. To achieve this goal, CONTAMED will combine epidemiological approaches with laboratory science. The work plan for CONTAMED is organised in three major strands focusing on human studies, animal models and in vitro assays including metabolomics.
Das Projekt "Developmental effects of environment on reproductive health (DEER)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Turun Yliopisto durchgeführt. Objective: The multidisciplinary research teams in this consortium have played lead roles in establishing that fetal and childhood periods are vulnerable to environmental disruption leading to common reproductive disorders. This proposal will investigate: (1) connections between normal/abnormal perinatal reproductive development and maturation of reproductive function at puberty and in adulthood; (2) systemic gene-environment interactions underlying reproductive disorders taking account of genetic susceptibility, multiple exposures (e.g. mixtures of environmental chemicals) and their timing (perinatal, peripubertal, adult); (3) connection between perinatal reproductive development and later obesity/metabolic disorders. To achieve this we will utilize large cohorts generated in previous EU projects and collect new data from these on reproductive maturation and adult function. Existing genomic and proteomics data, exposure data for greater than 100 potentially toxic environmental chemicals, lifestyle, dietary and medical history information will be analysed using integrative systems biology approaches to pinpoint critical (interacting) factors influencing development.