What is new in the exposome?

Area of Science:

• Environmental Epidemiology
• Molecular Biology
• Public Health

Background:

• The exposome encompasses all environmental exposures from conception onward, including chemical, biological, and psychosocial factors.
• Traditional environmental epidemiology often focuses on hard health outcomes, potentially overlooking subtle effects of exposures.
• Assessing causality in environmental studies is challenging due to confounding and reverse causation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in exposome research and their value for future studies.
• To highlight the role of biomarkers and omic technologies in understanding subtle health outcomes and causal attribution.
• To explore the integration of social determinants into exposome research and disease mechanism studies.

Main Methods:

• Application of omic technologies (e.g., epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics) for biomarker discovery.
• Utilizing advanced analytical techniques for causal inference, such as instrumental variables.
• Development and application of novel tools like adductomics for detailed exposure assessment.
• Integration of diverse data sources, including personal monitoring and satellite observations.

Main Results:

• Omic technologies provide insights into internal biomarkers of exposure and response, facilitating the study of subtle health outcomes.
• Biomarkers and omics can improve causal attribution in environmental epidemiology, addressing confounding and reverse causation.
• Exposome research is bridging the gap between social determinants and biological changes impacting health.
• New technologies like adductomics offer unprecedented perspectives on the impact of complex mixtures and lifetime exposures.

Conclusions:

• Exposome research, powered by omics and advanced technologies, is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of disease etiology.
• Future research requires new cohort studies with robust biosample collection and integrated exposure assessment methods.
• A deeper understanding of the biography-to-biology transition is essential for personalized and preventative health strategies.