idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
EU provides 8 million euros to research health damage caused by noise and ultrafine particulate matter
Markers of Pollution - MARKOPOLO for short - is the title of a new European consortium for environmental research that scientists led by Prof. Dr. Andreas Daiber and Prof. Dr. Thomas Münzel from the Department of Cardiology at the Mainz University Medical Center have successfully acquired. EU funding amounting to 8 million euros plus 1.28 million euros external funding by the Swiss National Fonds will be available in the future to investigate the effects of risk factors such as traffic noise and air pollution in the form of particulate matter on the cardiovascular system, the brain, the lungs and metabolic processes - in cell culture experiments, animal studies, computer-based models, but also clinical/epidemiological studies. In addition to scientists from cardiology, anatomy and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, the consortium includes colleagues from the Universities of Würzburg, Padua (Italy), Odense (Denmark), Kaunas (Lithuania), Kuopio (Finland), Belgrade (Serbia), South Carolina (USA), the Danish Cancer Research Society in Copenhagen, the Cyprus Research Institute, the National Laboratory and Institute of Health in Luxembourg, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel, and CONCENTRIS Research Management GmbH in Fürstenfeldbruck (Germany). The project is scheduled to start in 2025 under the coordination of Prof. Daiber.
Air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM), and traffic noise are closely linked environmental risk factors that contribute significantly to the development of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis. In Europe, air pollution causes around 0.5 million premature deaths each year and traffic noise is responsible for the loss of 1.6 million healthy life years. Despite these serious effects, these health risks are often not adequately addressed in clinical guidelines. In addition, European limits for noise and particulate matter exceed the standards recommended by the WHO. There are still significant gaps in knowledge regarding the combined effects of particulate matter and noise, the role of ultrafine particles, the harmful signaling pathways via the brain-heart axis and the impact on vulnerable groups such as high-risk patients and the elderly.
MARKOPOLO aims to investigate the health effects of traffic noise and air pollution (especially fine and ultrafine particulate matter) through an innovative translational approach. Experimental and computational models are used in clinical, interventional and epidemiological studies. One of the main objectives is to identify disease-relevant biomarkers and to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in diseases of the brain, lung and cardiovascular system. The “from bench-to-bedside” approach uses extensive knowledge of the brain-heart connection and applies modern methods to better understand the causes of disease. This knowledge is then used to show how different environmental factors affect the body. This should improve risk assessment and determine the effectiveness of preventive measures. In addition, the project considers societal and political frameworks to deepen the understanding of the complex interactions between noise, air pollution, and human well-being and to develop clear guidelines for different stakeholders.
“We will apply the so-called 'exposome concept', a concept that helps us to understand how everything we are exposed to during our lives - especially environmental factors, nutrition or stress - can influence our health. With this approach, we want to find out more precisely which of these influences make us ill. We focus on how these factors are connected and how they work in the body to better understand and prevent diseases. This is what makes MARKOPOLO so special,” explains Prof. Dr. Andreas Daiber, Head of the Molecular Cardiology Research Group at the Department of Cardiology and main applicant. “In addition, we will also use AI-supported computer models to break new, highly innovative ground in order to ideally be able to replace complex experimental studies in the future.”
“We are very pleased about the outstanding recognition at the EU level,” says Prof. Dr. Thomas Münzel, Senior Professor at the Department of Cardiology. “The Europe-wide network of excellent researchers engaged with MARKOPOLO will help us to strengthen and further expand our leading national and international position in the fields of the environment and cardiovascular diseases.”
“The MARKOPOLO initiative and the comprehensive funding from the EU is an expression of the importance of environmental risk factors on health and recognition for the decades of pioneering scientific work by Prof. Münzel and Prof. Daiber in this field of research,” comments Prof. Dr. Philipp Lurz, Director of the Department of Cardiology.”
Contact:
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas Daiber, Head of the Molecular Cardiology Research, Department
of Cardiology, University Medical Center Mainz, email: daiber@uni-mainz.de
Press contact:
Dr. Renée Dillinger-Reiter, Public Relations, University Medical Center Mainz, email: pr@unimedizin-mainz.de
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas Daiber, Head of the Molecular Cardiology Research, Department
of Cardiology, University Medical Center Mainz, email: daiber@uni-mainz.de
Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
Journalisten, Studierende, Wissenschaftler
Biologie, Chemie, Ernährung / Gesundheit / Pflege, Medizin, Umwelt / Ökologie
überregional
Forschungsprojekte, Kooperationen
Englisch
Sie können Suchbegriffe mit und, oder und / oder nicht verknüpfen, z. B. Philo nicht logie.
Verknüpfungen können Sie mit Klammern voneinander trennen, z. B. (Philo nicht logie) oder (Psycho und logie).
Zusammenhängende Worte werden als Wortgruppe gesucht, wenn Sie sie in Anführungsstriche setzen, z. B. „Bundesrepublik Deutschland“.
Die Erweiterte Suche können Sie auch nutzen, ohne Suchbegriffe einzugeben. Sie orientiert sich dann an den Kriterien, die Sie ausgewählt haben (z. B. nach dem Land oder dem Sachgebiet).
Haben Sie in einer Kategorie kein Kriterium ausgewählt, wird die gesamte Kategorie durchsucht (z.B. alle Sachgebiete oder alle Länder).
