GCAT URBAN LABS: EXposome Powered tools for healthy living in urbAN Settings

Research Leader:: Cathryn Tonne
Institution:: ISGlobal

HYPOTHESIS

We hypothesize that the complex mixture of the Urban External Exposome may alter the physiology and predispose individuals to developing CMPD.

OBJECTIVES

To define non-genetic drivers of health and diseases through global Exposome assessment.
To link the External Exposome with CMPD using deep explorative analyses of different Urban domains and combined exposures.

METHODOLOGY

This analysis will include subjects from the GCAT cohort (n=20.000). All volunteers will be contacted by e-mail and upon acceptance (e-consent) a subset of 1000 volunteers will be incorporated for sampling and environmental assessment (Urban-Labs). The study will incorporate available information on sociodemographic and cardio-metabolic-pulmonar conditions from the retrospective 2012-2020 period to explore environmental exposures impact.

This is designed to develop a personalised assessment of the Urban Exposome, evaluate a natural experiment, and conduct field-testing of the Exposome (Exposome navigator (4). It will involve 1,000 individuals from Catalan urban areas (Barcelona). The protocol includes tracking for spatial-temporal activity patterns with a smartphone app, sensor-based environmental measurements, behavioural measurements, and minimally invasive biological sample collection using blood-spots and micro needle patches.

The subjects included in this project belong to the GCAT study. All participants were informed of the general objectives of the study, for the study of the genetic profile and environmental impact on the development of chronic diseases. The project has been evaluated and approved by the CEIC of the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital (2013).

GCAT-Expanse-Urban Labs e-consent form (electronic form) will be previously evaluated and approved by the by the CEIC of the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital.

The GCAT project manages the explicit will of Return of results accepted in the informed consent process, and complies by law with the obligation to communicate incidental results, according to the policy defined by the project and the institute (IGTP).