Human Early Life Exposome (HELIX) study : a European population-based exposome cohort

Léa Maitre (1, 2, 3) , Jeroen de Bont (1, 2, 3) , Maribel Casas (1, 2, 3) , Olivier Robinson (1, 2, 3) , Gunn Marit Aasvang (4) , Lydiane Agier (5) , Sandra Andrusaityte (6) , Ferran Ballester (3, 7, 8) , Xavier Basagana (1, 2, 3) , Eva Borras (2, 9) , Céline Brochot (10) , Mariona Bustamante (1, 2, 3, 9) , Angel Carracedo (11, 12) , Montserrat de Castro (1, 2, 3) , Audrius Dedele (6) , David Donaire-Gonzalez (1, 2, 3) , Xavier Estivill (13) , Jorunn Evandt (4) , Serena Fossati (1, 2, 3) , Lise Giorgis-Allemand (5) , Juan R. Gonzalez (1, 2, 3) , Berit Granum (4) , Regina Grazuleviciene (6) , Kristine Bjerve Gutzkow (4) , Line Smastuen Haug (4) , Carles Hernandez-Ferrer (1, 2, 3) , Barbara Heude (14) , Jesus Ibarluzea (3, 15, 16, 17) , Jordi Julvez (1, 2, 3) , Marianna Karachaliou (18) , Hector C. Keun (19) , Norun Hjertager Krog (4) , Chung-Ho E. Lau (19) , Vasiliki Leventakou (18) , Sarah Lyon-Caen (5) , Cyntia Manzano (1, 2, 3) , Dan Mason , Rosemary Mceachan , Helle Margrete Meltzer (4) , Inga Petraviciene (6) , Quentin Joane (5) , Theano Roumeliotaki (18) , Eduard Sabido (2) , Pierre Saulnier (20) , Alexandros P. Siskos (19) , Valérie Siroux (5) , Jordi Sunyer (1, 2, 3) , Ibon Tamayo (1, 3, 21) , Jose Urquiza (1, 2, 3) , Marina Vafeiadi (18) , Diana van Gent (1, 2, 3) , Marta Vives-Usano (1, 2, 3, 9) , Dagmar Waiblinger , Charline Warembourg (1, 2, 3) , Leda Chatzi (22, 23) , Muireann Coen (19) , Peter van den Hazel (24) , Mark Nieuwenhuijsen (1, 2, 3) , Rémy Slama (5) , Cathrine Thomsen (4) , John Wright , Martine Vrijheid (1, 2, 3)

1 ISGlobal - Instituto de Salud Global - Institute For Global Health [Barcelona]
2 UPF - Universitat Pompeu Fabra [Barcelona]
3 CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP)
4 NIPH - Norwegian Institute of Public Health [Oslo]
5 IAB - Institute for Advanced Biosciences / Institut pour l'Avancée des Biosciences (Grenoble)
6 VDU - Vytautas Magnus University - Vytauto Didziojo Universitetas
7 UV - Universitat de València
8 FISABIO - Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana [Espagne]
9 CRG - Centre for Genomic Regulation [Barcelona]
10 INERIS - Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques
11 USC - Universidade de Santiago de Compostela [Spain]
12 CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER)
13 Sidra Medicine [Doha, Qatar]
14 CRESS (U1153 / UMR_A_1125 / UMR_S_1153) - Centre de Recherche Épidémiologie et Statistique Sorbonne Paris Cité
15 UPV/EHU - University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
16 BIODonostia Research Institute
17 Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa
18 UOC - University of Crete [Heraklion]
19 Imperial College London
20 CIC - Poitiers
21 Harvard University [Cambridge]
22 Keck School of Medicine [Los Angeles]
23 Maastricht University [Maastricht]
24 VGGM - Veiligheids-en Gezondheidsregio Gelderland Midden [Arnhem, the Netherlands]

Purpose: Essential to exposome research is the collection of data on many environmental exposures from different domains in the same subjects. The aim of the Human Early Life Exposome (HELIX) study was to measure and describe multiple environmental exposures during early life (pregnancy and childhood) in a prospective cohort and associate these exposures with molecular omics signatures and child health outcomes. Here, we describe recruitment, measurements available and baseline data of the HELIX study populations. Participants: The HELIX study represents a collaborative project across six established and ongoing longitudinal population-based birth cohort studies in six European countries (France, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Spain and the UK). HELIX used a multilevel study design with the entire study population totalling 31 472 mother-child pairs, recruited during pregnancy, in the six existing cohorts (first level); a subcohort of 1301 mother-child pairs where biomarkers, omics signatures and child health outcomes were measured at age 6–11 years (second level) and repeat-sampling panel studies with around 150 children and 150 pregnant women aimed at collecting personal exposure data (third level). Findings to date: Cohort data include urban environment, hazardous substances and lifestyle-related exposures for women during pregnancy and their offspring from birth until 6–11 years. Common, standardised protocols were used to collect biological samples, measure exposure biomarkers and omics signatures and assess child health across the six cohorts. Baseline data of the cohort show substantial variation in health outcomes and determinants between the six countries, for example, in family affluence levels, tobacco smoking, physical activity, dietary habits and prevalence of childhood obesity, asthma, allergies and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Future plans: HELIX study results will inform on the early life exposome and its association with molecular omics signatures and child health outcomes. Cohort data are accessible for future research involving researchers external to the project.

Domains: Toxicology; Health; Santé publique et épidémiologie

Léa Maitre, Jeroen de Bont, Maribel Casas, Olivier Robinson, Gunn Marit Aasvang, et al.. Human Early Life Exposome (HELIX) study : a European population-based exposome cohort. BMJ Open, 2018, 8, pp.e021311. ⟨10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021311⟩. ⟨ineris-03319120⟩