Noise and/or ultrafine particulate matter induced cerebral and cardiovascular damage: Novel insights from experimental and epidemiological brainheart axis biomarkers and computational models: MARKOPOLO

Programme(s)
HORIZON.2.1 - Health MAIN PROGRAMME
HORIZON.2.1.1 - Health throughout the Life Course
HORIZON.2.1.2 - Environmental and Social Health Determinants

Topic(s): HORIZON-HLTH-2024-ENVHLTH-02-06-two-stage - The role of environmental pollution in non-communicable diseases: air, noise and light and hazardous waste pollution
Call for proposal: HORIZON-HLTH-2024-ENVHLTH-02-two-stage

Funding Scheme: HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Grant agreement ID: 101156161

Project description: Tackling the health risks of air pollution and transportation noise
Cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, mental, and metabolic diseases are on the rise, fuelled by environmental risks like air pollution and traffic noise. Together, these factors contribute to premature deaths and significant loss of healthy life years in Europe. Yet, their combined effects remain poorly understood, and current exposure limits often fall short of WHO standards. Critical knowledge gaps, especially concerning ultrafine particles and the brain-heart axis, hinder effective policy and health interventions. To address these issues, the EU-funded MARKOPOLO project will develop a pioneering translational approach. Combining advanced experimental models, multiomic techniques, and societal impact studies, it aims to identify disease biomarkers, unravel molecular pathways, and improve risk assessments, ultimately shaping better guidelines and mitigation strategies.

Objective

Air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM), and traffic noise are major intertwined environmental risks. They contribute to the incidence of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, mental, and metabolic, so-called non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Air pollution contributes to annual premature deaths (0.5 million) and traffic noise to loss of 1.6 million healthy life years in Europe. Critical issues are that noise and PM are underrepresented in clinical guidelines and that European legal exposure limits exceed WHO standards, also due to a limited understanding of knowledge transfer and success metrics. Significant knowledge gaps are related to additive effects of PM and noise, the role of ultrafine particle (UFP), adverse brain-heart axis signaling, and the consequences for vulnerable groups such as high-risk patients and the elderly.
We address these critical health issues of traffic noise and air pollution (PM incl. UFP) by a unique translational approach using experimental and computational models in clinical, interventional, and epidemiological studies. A primary goal is to identify disease-relevant biomarkers and understand the molecular pathways of cerebral, pulmonary and cardiovascular NCDs, also by effective translation of animal findings to human health. Our “bench to life” approach on brain-heart axis is entirely driven by profound preclinical mechanistic knowledge and will use novel Multiomics methodology (e.g. redox/phospho-proteomics, “spatial” epigenetics) allowing analysis of key pathomechanisms, to be included in exposure-response models. This will improve risk assessment and allow evaluation of the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. We will also consider the societal circumstances and policies at the national level and their impact on different stakeholders. MARKOPOLO will advance our understanding of the complex interplay between noise, air pollution, and human well-being and provide clearer information and guidelines for various stakeholders.