Human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances? Role of the gut microbiome and bile acid metabolism in mediating impact (PFASgut)

The theme of the project is the assessment of the health impacts of exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and the elucidation of the effects of such exposure on both the gut microbiome and bile acid metabolism. Based on the preliminary data by us and others, we hypothesise that this interplay may impact lipid metabolism and human health. The project combines expertise in systems biology, metabolomics and comprehensive chemical analyses. Instead of merely screening for exposure levels of environmental chemicals, we will identify effect-based markers of exposure that anchor the exposures to actual health outcomes at the individual level. This highly-interdisciplinary project has the potential to open new areas of investigation related to the study of the impact of chronic chemical exposures on human health and for more relevant, accurate chemical safety assessment.