ENKORE Cluster
ENKORE CLUSTER
Establishing synergies for broader impact with sister projects
The HYPIEND project is part of the ENKORE Cluster: “ENdocrine disrupting chemicals and Knowledge On health-Related Effects“, aiming at optimising synergies and increasing the impact of the 5 projects funded under the Horizon Europe topic HORIZON-HLTH-2023-ENVHLTH-02-03 Health impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals: bridging science-policy gaps by addressing persistent scientific uncertainties.
Within the ENKORE Cluster framework, the participating projects share a common goal to extend their reach beyond individual project boundaries, thereby magnifying their collective impact. By leveraging the collaborative strength of the cluster, these initiatives aspire to disseminate cutting-edge research insights into the effects of EDCs on human health and to forge crucial connections between scientific knowledge and policymaking processes.



ENKORE ACTIVITIES
Cluster News & Events
ENKORE Cluster participates in European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) workshop
HYPIEND partners from Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) presented the project research and its studies
HYPIEND and ENKORE members participate in the EDC-MASLD Policy Forum
HYPIEND was presented at the first EDC-MASLD Policy Forum to bridge the gap between science and regulation.
ENKORE Cluster projects showcased at the 6th Annual Forum on Endocrine Disruptors
Dr. Josep Mª del Bas, Scientific Coordinator of Eurecat’s Biotechnology Area, represented the HYPIEND project at the forum.
Eurecat partners present HYPIEND Project at the ENKORE Cluster kick-off meeting
Partners from HYPIEND’s coordinator Eurecat Technology Centre presented the project at the ENKORE cluster kick-off meeting
HYPIEND partners participate in the first ENKORE workshop on chemical mixtures and mixed exposure to EDC
The first thematic workshop of the ENKORE Cluster provided an overview of the chemical mixtures selected by the five projects
SISTER PROJECTS
5 EU projects working on assessing the health impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals

HYPIEND
HYPIEND is one of the first projects to study EDCs effects on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis using a multidisciplinary approach, including preclinical models and two European-wide clinical studies.
The findings will be used to delineate interventional strategies for minimizing EDC exposure and consequences on the neuroendocrine system in pregnant and breastfeeding women and perinatal and pre-pubertal children.
EDC – MASLD
EDC-MASLD will investigate the impact of environmental exposure to EDCs on the internal exposome (metabolome, gut microbiome, epigenome, proteome, immunome) and the degree of liver damage in MASLD – the condition of excessive accumulation of liver fat unrelated to alcohol intake, ranging from simple steatosis to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. EDC-MASLD is particularly focused on interactions between EDC exposure, sex, genotype, diet, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, via the data and biosamples available in the unique European NAFLD Registry, comprising over 9,000 patients with histologically characterised MASLD.


ENDOMIX
The ENDOMIX project addresses the urgent need to understand the true impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on human health to inform regulators and advise citizens. ENDOMIX will tackle this challenge by revealing associations and causality between EDCs and adverse health outcomes by focusing on exposure to multiple EDCs during life course including windows of susceptibility and making use of already existing robust data from multiple European cohorts. The knowledge generated will be disseminated to the scientific community, provide a thorough new evidence base for policy making and will reach citizens to raise awareness about the risks of EDC exposure.
MERLON
The MERLON project aims to improve our knowledge on how EDC exposures at critical life stages impacts sex development and reproductive health, with a goal to improve on available tools for EDC identification. It brings together world-leading experts in endocrinology, chemical safety assessment, developmental and molecular biology, epidemiology, toxicogenomics, toxicokinetics modelling, regulatory toxicology, and psychology to tackle to investigate EDC-mediated effects on sexual development, providing human data on the role of EDC exposure during fetal development and changes in mini-puberty, connecting to puberty, reproductive function, and gender incongruence.


NEMESIS
NEMESIS addresses the adverse metabolic effects of EDCs through a multidisciplinary approach and responds to unmet regulatory needs regarding EDCs. NEMESIS aims to elucidate the mechanisms and dose-dependency of metabolic disruption by EDCs and their mixtures in liver and pancreas as well as their effects on gut microbiota through in silico, in vitro, in vivo, epidemiological and systems biology approaches. The consortium will support risk assessment by improving regulatory testing guidelines by incorporating metabolic endpoints and developing AOPs and IATAs. Engagement with citizens and stakeholders ensures effective risk communication and maximizes the impact of NEMESIS on policy development.