Exposome

The exposome encompasses the totality of human environmental (i.e. non-genetic) exposures from conception onwards, complementing the genome, first proposed in 2005 by a cancer epidemiologist. As of 2016, it may not be possible to measure or model. The exposome encompasses the totality of human environmental (i.e. non-genetic) exposures from conception onwards, complementing the genome, first proposed in 2005 by a cancer epidemiologist. As of 2016, it may not be possible to measure or model. The exposome was first proposed in 2005 by cancer epidemiologist Christopher Paul Wild in an article entitled 'Complementing the genome with an 'exposome': the outstanding challenge of environmental exposure measurement in molecular epidemiology'. The concept of the exposome and how to assess it has led to lively discussions with varied views in 2010, 2012, and 2014, In his 2005 article, Wild stated, 'At its most complete, the exposome encompasses life-course environmental exposures (including lifestyle factors), from the prenatal period onwards.' The concept was first proposed to draw attention to the need for better and more complete environmental exposure data for causal research, in order to balance the investment in genetics. According to Wild, even incomplete versions of the exposome could be useful to epidemiology. In 2012, Wild outlined methods, including personal sensors, biomarkers, and 'omics' technologies, to better define the exposome. He described three overlapping domains within the exposome: In late 2013, this definition was explained in greater depth in the first book on the exposome. In 2014, the same author revised the definition to include the body's response with its endogenous metabolic processes which alter the processing of chemicals. For complex disorders, specific genetic causes appear to account for only 10-30% of the disease incidence, but there has been no standard or systematic way to measure the influence of environmental exposures. Some studies into the interaction of genetic and environmental factors in the incidence of diabetes have demonstrated that 'environment-wide association studies' (EWAS, or exposome-wide association studies) may be feasible. However, it is not clear what data sets are most appropriate to represent the value of 'E'. As of 2016, it may not be possible to measure or model the full exposome, but several European projects have started to make first attempts.In 2012, the European Commission awarded two large grants to pursue exposome-related research. The HELIX project at the Barcelona-based Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology was launched around 2014, and aimed to develop an early-life exposome. A second project, Exposomics, based at Imperial College London, launched in 2012, aimed to use smartphones utilizine GPS and environmental sensors to assess exposures. In late 2013, a major initiative called the 'Health and Environment-Wide Associations based on Large Scale population Surveys' or HEALS, began. Touted as the largest environmental health-related study in Europe, HEALS proposes to adopt a paradigm defined by interactions between DNA sequence, epigenetic DNA modifications, gene expression, and environmental factors.