ENKORE Cluster
Cluster on endocrine disrupting chemicals and knowledge on health effects
The Cluster
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 optimise synergies, strengthen collaboration, avoid overlaps and increase the impact of the individual projects.
The Projects
Together with ENDOMIX, these four 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.
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.
The MERLON project aims to improve our knowledge on how EDC exposures at critical life stages impacts sex development and reproductive health, with a goal to improve on available tools for EDC identification. It brings together world-leading experts in endocrinology, chemical safety assessment, developmental and molecular biology, epidemiology, toxicogenomics, toxicokinetics modelling, regulatory toxicology, and psychology to tackle to investigate EDC-mediated effects on sexual development, providing human data on the role of EDC exposure during fetal development and changes in mini-puberty, connecting to puberty, reproductive function, and gender incongruence.
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.