In the first phase of Exposome-NL, we established a case-cohort study for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), drawing from the Lifelines, Hoorn, Helius, and Morgen cohorts.
Over the 2025-2026 period, Leiden University conducted LC-HRMS and GC-HRMS analysis on blood samples from these cohorts to generate a comprehensive metabolomics and exposomics dataset. Upon initial delivery, a large amount of metabolite features will already have been identified. In addition, through a collaborative effort with the Exposome scan project, initially unidentified features will be annotated post-analysis.
This dataset will be used to determine the etiological and predictive roles of specific exposures and metabolites in T2D and AMI. Furthermore, our partnership with UMC Utrecht, translates these findings into clinical applications to improve insights in biology, risk stratification, and ultimately prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic disease.
The environment we live in has a dominant impact on our health. It explains an estimated seventy percent of the chronic disease burden. Where we live, what we eat, how much we exercise, the air we breathe and whom we associate with; all of these environmental factors play a role. The combination of these factors over the life course is called the exposome. There is general (scientific) consensus that understanding more about the exposome will help explain the current burden of disease and that it provides entry points for prevention and ...
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