Projects

The impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on human health has been of worldwide concern as they are abundant environmental and food-borne pollutants. PAHs are developmental toxins, carcinogens and immunotoxicants capable of crossing the placental barrier. The unborn child is at greater risk than the adult from these exposure. In utero exposure has been associated with increased risk of adverse birth outcomes and damage to the genome, ...

Human ageing is a complex physiological process responsive to environmental exposures during the life course. Attrition of telomeres (the ends of our chromosomes) is considered a primary hallmark of ageing. Ageing starts as early as from life in the womb. Maternal pregnancy exposures may have important persistent effects on the telomere biology system of newborns. Newborns with short telomeres are assumed to be predisposed to a more advanced ...

Evidence is mounting that exposure to ambient air pollution during the most vulnerable stage in life "the in utero period" is linked with low birth weight and the development of cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological pathologies in later life. Mitochondria are the biochemical power plants of cells, and dysfunction of these sensitive organelles is associated with a range of human diseases. It is well established that mitochondria play an ...

Our surrounding is an important environmental factor determining our health status. Air pollution exposure is detrimental to human health, while green space contact and access are associated with improved life quality. To date, the impact of environmental factors, like ambient air pollution and green space exposure, on the human gut microbiome and related health effects remains elusive due to a lack of human studies. In the current project, I ...

Epidemiology is the study of the patterns, causes and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. An advantage of epidemiologic research is that it looks at people in their 'natural' environment, and looks to explain the differences between people within a population. When women are pregnant, cells from their unborn children enter the maternal bloodstream, and can remain present in their bodies for decades after delivery, ...

Air pollution is a complex mixture and we are far from understanding the respective contribution of its various components. Evidence that soot particles are one of the most toxic components causing health effects including on the central nervous system is rising. The aim of the proposed interdisciplinary project is to study the effects of soot particles on the human brain in early development and to deduce the relation with affected ...

Ageing processes are universal, inevitable, and start at the very beginning of life with an acceleration at middle-age. In later life, ageing is associated with cancer, metabolic outcomes, cardiovascular disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Exposures to external factors can influence the process of ageing in a positive (i.e. physical activity, healthy diet) or negative manner (i.e. smoking, lack of exercise, stress, etc.). Therefore, it is ...

Epidemiology is the study of the patterns, causes and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. An advantage of epidemiologic research is that it looks at people in their 'natural' environment, and looks to explain the differences between people within a population. When women are pregnant, cells from her unborn child enter the maternal bloodstream, and remain present in her body for decades after delivery. There is a huge ...

Since 2002, we know that many heat-treated foods contain acrylamide, which means that everybody is exposed to this compound. In rodents, acrylamide causes cancer and toxic effects to the nervous, developmental and reproductive system. It is still unclear whether acrylamide at dietary doses causes adverse health effects in humans. There are concerns that it may cause adverse effects on fetal growth and neurotoxic effects in children and this ...