In Europe, rapidly changing environmental factors such as unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, climate change as well as increased work-related stress are the main drivers of many non-communicable diseases. These modifiable factors can trigger and maintain chronic inflammation, a common process in many diseases. Long periods of covert and subclinical inflammation may proceed organ damage and result in clinical manifestation as chronic kidney disease (CKD), cardiovascular disease (CVD) or brain damage. It is increasingly recognized that the gut is a major driving force that orchestrates the regulation of inflammatory responses and maintains the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory forces. IMMEDIATE focuses on studying plasticity, resilience, redundancy and deflection of the diet-microbiome-metabolite-immune axis (a blind range of imminent disease) and utilize this axis as a sensor for health-to-disease transition at the individual level.
The IMMEDIATE goal will be achieved by identifying biomarkers and actionable factors, conducting a proof-of-concept study on hospital physicians to evaluate Akkermansia muciniphila, by mapping biomarkers using Omics and single-cell technologies and by providing individuals tools to track lifestyle and dietary habits.
To achieve these IMMEDIATE goals, we will
1) create IMMEDIATE observatory for chronic inflammation, a model for chronic inflammatory factors triggering the health-to-disease transition
2) generate a database of omics profiles in health and diseases and omics profiles linked to the transition of health to CVD, CKD, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and brain damage
3) generate a list of actionable risk/resilience factors linked to inflammation-driving transition of health to CVD, CKD, T2D and brain damage, which can be used to develop novel prevention guidelines or health care program
4) evaluate anti-inflammatory effects of postbiotics Akkermansia muciniphila as well as its effects on mental and somatic health
5) and, finally, develop IMMEDI-APP, a personalized APP for dynamic monitoring and individualized provision of lifestyle/dietary recommendations.