Project description
Investigating the effects of endocrine disruptors on sexual development
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can disrupt the endocrine system, posing risks to human and animal health. Associations have been shown between reproductive disorders, declining fertility rates and EDC exposure in humans and further evidenced in animal models. With many potential EDCs still in use and present in the environment further efforts are needed to understand their impact and provide better tools to identify them. The EU-funded MERLON project will investigate the effects of EDCs on sexual development and function. Using advanced techniques such as transcriptomics, pharmacokinetic modelling, biomarker identification, and Adverse Outcome Pathways, the MERLON project seeks to create an improved roadmap for identifying EDCs.
Objective
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are substances that alter the function of the endocrine system and negatively affect human and animal health. In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in, for example, reproductive disorders and gender incongruence, along with a decline in fertility rates, all of which may be linked to EDC exposure. The EU has highlighted EDCs as substances of high concern and aims to minimise exposure of humans and the environment by improving regulation and policy. Yet there remain important gaps in our understanding of the impact of exposures at critical life stages and the tools for identification and ultimately regulation of EDCs.
The MERLON project addresses these gaps, bringing together world-leading experts in endocrinology, chemical safety assessment, developmental and molecular biology, epidemiology, toxicogenomics, toxicokinetics modelling, regulatory toxicology, psychology, psychiatry and research ethics. We will 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 using existing biobanks and cohorts. MERLON will apply and develop 3R-compliant New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) focusing on sexual development and function and the effects of EDCs thereon. Our cutting-edge approaches incorporate transcriptomics, pharmacokinetic models, biomarker identification and the use of Adverse Outcome Pathways, which we will utilize to develop a roadmap for EDC identification, making the best use of NAMs into the future.
With MERLON, we will engage EU risk assessment bodies, public health authorities, regulators, scientists and researchers, healthcare providers and citizens. This will ensure all relevant stakeholders have the evidence they need to minimize EDC exposure and support effective and evidence-based regulations and policies.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine psychiatry
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health epidemiology
- social sciences sociology demography fertility
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine endocrinology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine toxicology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.1 - Health
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.1.1 - Health throughout the Life Course
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HORIZON.2.1.2 - Environmental and Social Health Determinants
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-HLTH-2023-ENVHLTH-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2800 KONGENS LYNGBY
Denmark
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.