Bridging Two Scientific Worlds
The symposium united two distinct research communities—those focused on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and those working in environmental health and exposomics. Discussions highlighted the importance of integrating environmental, clinical, and biological data to uncover new strategies for prevention and intervention.
“Interventions in our environment and behavior may be just as important—if not more so—than medicine,” said Dr. R. Sean Morrison of Mount Sinai. “By understanding our lifetime exposome—the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the stress we carry—we can chart a path toward healthier aging and reduce the burden of dementia.”
Advancing Global Exposomics
Dr. Rick Woychik, Director of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, emphasized the need for a bold, coordinated vision to advance global exposomics. This includes linking genes and environment through cutting-edge technologies, international collaboration, and shared data frameworks.
Participants called for a broader definition of the exposome—one that includes behavioral and physiological factors such as sleep, stress, and daily routines. Discussions on clinical implementation offered valuable insights into how exposure science can be translated into real-world public health and medical strategies.
Professor Martha M. Téllez Rojo from Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health introduced the novel Anthroposomic approach, which emphasizes the essential inclusion of human–environment interactions within the exposome framework to design effective public health interventions.
Strengthening Regional Capacity
The symposium also underscored the importance of empowering regional researchers and integrating existing cohorts to accelerate discovery and ensure equitable participation across countries. Key priorities include strengthening laboratory infrastructure, bioinformatics training, technology transfer, and understanding human–environment interactions to make exposome research actionable for public health.
Toward a Global Human Exposome Project
The final session of the symposium focused on planning the Human Exposome Project—an international initiative modeled after the Human Genome Project. Participants called for shared frameworks, open databases, and sustained collaboration across regions to build a truly global exposomic network. It has been recognised that EIRENE should play an important role in this process providing a conceptual framework, scalable tools, harmonised protocols and quality standards.
