Diagnosis, monitoring and prevention of exposure-related non-communicable diseases in the living and working environment: DiMoPEx-project is designed to determine the impacts of environmental exposure on human health

Budnik, Lygia Therese; Adam, Balazs; Albin, Maria; Banelli, Barbara; Baur, Xaver; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Bolognesi, Claudia; Broberg, Karin; Gustavsson, Per; Göen, Thomas; Fischer, Axel; Jarosinska, Dorota; Manservisi, Fabiana; O’Kennedy, Richard; Øvrevik, Johan; Paunovic, Elizabet; Ritz, Beate; Scheepers, Paul T. J.; Schlünssen, Vivi; Schwarzenbach, Heidi; Schwarze, Per E.; Sheils, Orla; Sigsgaard, Torben; Van Damme, Karel; Casteleyn, Ludwine

doi:10.1186/s12995-018-0186-9

Table 1 Synopsis

From: Diagnosis, monitoring and prevention of exposure-related non-communicable diseases in the living and working environment: DiMoPEx-project is designed to determine the impacts of environmental exposure on human health

The main purpose of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology program is to provide a framework for international cooperation among researchers and other professionals. By bringing together experts in significant areas of human life and development, opens up the possibilities of new ideas, approaches and solutions. The European Cooperation in Science and Technology COST program is founded partially by the member states, who delegate the management committee members. The Action Diagnosis, Monitoring and Prevention of Exposure-related Noncommunicable Diseases (DiMoPEx) fosters capacity-building by bringing together basic scientists, clinical researchers and practitioners in the relevant (sub-)disciplines and organizing interdisciplinary collaboration and training in research that addresses the societal challenges outlined above. Members aim to implement new concepts in joint interdisciplinary research and training initiatives to enhance networking between expert centers and offer a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers across Europe. DiMoPEx also aims to attract and focus the interests of the next generation of early career investigators on key emerging issues of exposure-related disease burden and various aspects of exposure assessment sciences.
The predominant goal is to help scientists, physicians and health officials to prevent and reduce health impacts associated with various exposure scenarios and train highly skilled researchers of health-environment (including gene-environment) interactions in the etiology of exposure- related NCDs within seven working groups
The overarching idea of the DiMoPEx project (http://dimopex.eu/working) groups is to teach and train about how to learn to include evidence-based exposure assessment (in research and clinical settings). Using modern methods such as ambient monitoring and human biomonitoring methods (WG1, WG 2), the various biomarkers of effect and susceptibility alongside with the clinical diagnostic methods and biomarker-based evaluation of lifestyle factors (WG3, WG 6) can be combined, resulting in the development of cooperative projects that are too broad for coverage by individual disciplines (i.e. epidemiology or traditional environmental medicine). Within several joint research projects, DiMoPEx partners are already focusing on the impact of pollution on human health. The projects are concentrating on several pollutants (particulate mass fractions PM2.5 and PM10, a range of metals, inorganic gases and organic compounds) in living and working environments and their health impacts [138].
The DiMoPEx Action anticipates initiating health research with important benefits for public health and the healthcare system of the European Community. DiMoPEx will catalyze and stimulate interaction of scientists with policy-makers on exposure-related diseases of concern to society (see below, WG 7 for more details on cooperation with the WHO scientists, implementation of the new knowledge, involving external partners and policy makers). See below for detailed working groups description.

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