King’s College London (KCL) has announced that it is one of 14 partners from eight European countries to join the HYPIEND project to improve newborn health.
Co-ordinated by the Eurecat technology centre, the five-year study aims to reduce the impact of endocrine disruptors on pregnancy and pre-puberty.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can be found in products including cosmetics, food, drink and cleaning products. Particularly during pregnancy, infancy and childhood, these products can affect the operation of the hormonal system.
The HYPIEND project will analyse the impact on the hypothalamic-pituitaryaxis, the structure where the central nervous system and the endocrine systems connect and regulate hormones that operate body functions such as somatic growth, lactation and stress coping.
The project will involve Dr Marika Charalambous, school academic lead, research and impact, at KCL, who will lead group studies of the metabolism and the placenta.
Charalambous said: “We wish to know to what extent and how EDCs enter our cells to affect physiology, particularly during development and in the brain.”
One of two studies will use workshops and a mobile app to reduce the exposure of endocrine disruptors to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children up to 18 months after birth.
Involving six- to seven-year-old children and their tutors, the second study will assess the effectiveness of reducing levels of endocrine disruptors in children’s urine while increasing their parents’ knowledge of these chemicals.
Charalambous said: “We will develop preclinical models to assess how well EDC combinations cross the placental barrier – a crucial organ that protects the developing baby from maternal exposure to a harsh environment.
“This will help us to understand which EDCs have the potential to have intergenerational impacts on human health.”
The consortium hopes that results from the project will contribute to the development of new screening methods for endocrine disruptors and the creation of new public health strategies to minimise exposure to vulnerable populations.
