Environment and Health over the Lifecourse
Research & Innovation Programmes Environment and Health over the Lifecourse

Environment and Health over the Lifecourse

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Photo: Àlex Losada / Barcelona.cat

The Environment and Health over the Lifecourse research programme aims to conduct high-quality integrative research to expand knowledge on the causes and mechanisms of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The programme focuses on environmental, radiation, occupational, lifestyle, social, infectious, and genetic risk factors throughout the lifecourse, from prenatal to late adult life. Key outcomes include respiratory and immune health, neurodevelopment, cardiovascular health and cancer. Our ultimate goal is to prevent and control NCDs, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Specific Goals

  • To assess the prevalence and extent of risk factors and lifetime exposures associated with NCDs, while advancing exposure assessment methods.
  • To understand the causes, development, course and mechanisms of NCDs, with a focus on respiratory and immune health, neurodevelopment and cognitive decline, mental health, cardiovascular and metabolic health, birth and pregnancy outcomes, and cancer.
  • To quantify environmental exposures and NCDs burden, globally, and in low-and-middle income countries and vulnerable populations (e.g., pregnant women, children, elderly, socioeconomically disadvantaged, indigenous peoples and local communities).
  • To inform, improve and promote interventions and policies for primary and secondary prevention of NCDs, including preparedness and resilience to health and climate emergencies.

We build on large population-based, clinical and occupational cohort and case-control studies as powerful platforms for etiological research, and incorporate innovative approaches such as the exposome, omics biomarkers, imaging, and data science. Work in the programme ranges from local to national and global efforts in high and low-and-middle income countries, with international leadership in areas such as exposome, radiation, child health, cancer, and respiratory health research. We have a successful record of research and training in epidemiology and in translation of research findings into policy. Within ISGlobal, successful collaborations are in place with the Severo Ochoa groups, the Climate, Air pollution, Nature and Urban Health and the Global Viral and Bacterial Infections Programme.

Main Research Areas

The Non-communicable Diseases and Environment research area, addresses genetic, molecular, lifestyle and environmental causes of development and progression of NCDs both in high- and low and middle-income countries.

The Childhood and Environment research area evaluates the effects of early-life environmental and lifestyle exposures on child health and development. 

The Radiation research area covers cancer and non-cancer effects of exposure to both ionising and non-ionising radiation, throughout the life course, from medical, environmental and occupational sources and from accidents.

Cross-faculty hubs involving this programme:

Our Team

Leadership

  • Judith Garcia Aymerich
    Judith Garcia Aymerich Research Professor and Head of the Environment and Health over the Lifecourse Programme
  • Martine Vrijheid
    Martine Vrijheid Research Professor and Head of the Environment and Health over the Lifecourse Programme

Principal lnvestigators of the Programme

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Projects

MeDALL

Mechanisms of Development of Allergy

MCC-Spain

Population based multicasecontrol study on common tumours in Spain

AURORA 2021 project

AURORA 2021

Actionable eUropean ROadmap for early-life health Risk Assessment of micro- and nanoplastics

ExPEC-TEEN project

ExPEC-TEEN

Prenatal Exposure to Environmental Pollutants and Metabolic and Cardiovascular Health of the Teenagers

Two children walk along the beach

The Lungfit Project

Socioeconomic Status, Physical Activity, and Respiratory Health in Pregnant Women, Children, and Adolescents

OBERON Project

OBERON

An integrative strategy of testing systems for identification of EDs related to metabolic disorders

EUCAN-connect project

EUCAN-Connect

A federated FAIR platform enabling large-scale analysis of high-value cohort data connecting Europe and Canada in personalized health

MOOD COVID Project

MOOD-COVID

Pre- and post-natal Maternal mental health and newbOrn neurOdevelopment during the COVID-19 panDemic

HERA Project

HERA

Integrating Environment and Health Research: a Vision for the EU

HELIX-NAFLD project

HELIX-NAFLD

Developmental origins of child liver injury: the effect of early life environmental exposures

ONES Project

ONES

Fine Particle Matter, Fetal Growth, and Neurodevelopment: Examining Critical Windows of Susceptibility

UrbanKids

Urban and social environment and childhood obesity – a natural moving2health experiment

Nuts

NutinBrain

The role of seafood and nut consumption on human neurodevelopment from pregnancy to adolescence

INMA-Ado-Sueño Project

INMA-Ado-Sueño

Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, Noise, and Sleep Disorders in Adolescence

APBO Project

The APBO Project

Air Pollution and Birth Outcomes: Windows of Exposure and Health and Economic Impact Assessment

FRONTIER project

FRONTIER

Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Birth Weight: the Roles of Noise, Placental Function, Green Space, Physical Activity, and Socioeconomic Status

AIR-NB Project

AIR-NB

Pre-natal exposure to urban AIR pollution and pre- and post-Natal Brain development

FLAVOBAC

Nuevas moléculas de oro coordinadas con flavonoides contra bacterias patógenas multirresistentes prioritarias

MEDIRAD

Implications of Medical Low Dose Radiation Exposure

SHAMISEN-SINGS

SHAMISEN (Nuclear Emergency Situations - Improvement of dosimetric, Medical And Health Surveillance) - Stakeholder INvolvement in Generating Science (SINGS)

CREST

Characterization of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) induced by new uses and technologies of mobile communication systems

A magnifying glass in the foreground magnifies the particles contained in the bottom water.

intoDBP

Innovative Tools to Control Organic Matter and Disinfection Byproducts in Drinking Water

e-QuoL project

e-QuoL

e-health tools to promote Equality in Quality of Life for childhood to young adulthood cancer patients, survivors and their families

AiguaBCN Project

AiguaBCN

Exposure to emerging contaminants in drinking water in Barcelona potentially liked to chronic diseases and wellbeing

VEIS

Leveraging the European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA) for Industry and Society

Stethoscope

CORSAIR

Severe respiratory failure in COVID-19: clinical, biological and imaging risk factors

EPHOR

Exposome Project for Health and Occupational Research

CALMA Project

CALMA

Co-created educational programme for dyspnea-bearing patients and their caregivers

Cancer-Watch Project

Cancer-Watch

Risk of colorectal and breast cancer with widespread drinking water chemical contaminants

RECETAS project

RECETAS

Re-imagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces

Traffic in Barcelona and a girl on a scooter

CityExposomeCat

An Exposome Approach to Urban Health: Individualized Environmental Exposure Assessment in an Adults Population Cohort Study (GCAT)

iGenCo project

iGenCO

In-Depth Genomics and Cross-Omics Analysis for Undiagnosed Rare Diseases on a User-Friendly Collaborative Platform

HORMONIT Project

HORMONIT

Molecular Epidemiological Study on Hormonal Changes Associated with Circadian Disruption in Night Shift Workers

HARMONIC

Health effects of cArdiac fluoRoscopy and mOdern radIotherapy in paediatriCs

CONTENT

Cohort of COVID-19 in Spain: social dynamics, mental health and inequalities

OMEGA-NET project logo

OMEGA-NET

Network on the Coordination and Harmonisation of European Occupational Cohorts

ATHLETE

Advancing Tools for Human Early Lifecourse Exposome Research and Translation

Mobilise-D

Connecting digital mobility assessment to clinical outcomes for regulatory and clinical endorsement

BWater

Drinking Water in Barcelona: Sustainability and Health Impact Assessment

LIFECYCLE

Early-life stressors and LifeCycle health

HELIX

Novel tools for integrating early-life environmental exposures and child health across Europe

APACHE

Air Pollution, Autism spectrum disorders, and brain imaging in CHildren amongst Europe