Under embargo until 10:00 AM EST May 12, 2025
Who? 500+ public health researchers, thought-leaders, policy-makers & civil society actors.
What? Inaugural Exposome Moonshot Forum.
Where? Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, Washington D.C.
When? Monday May 12th to Thursday May 15th, 2025: www.exposomemoonshot.org
Background: The Human Genome Project, initiated in 1990 and completed in 2003, was a global scientific effort to map and sequence all genetic material, the information needed to code life. With that code was a promise to understand the genetic roots of disease and health. Funded by the US federal institutes, such as the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, and international partners at a cost of $3 billion, it remains one of humanity’s greatest scientific achievements, revolutionizing our understanding of genetics and driving medical and biotechnological advances.
Today’s challenge: The Human Genome Project transformed genetic discovery, but it only tells a small part of the story. What are the environmental factors that underpin disease and health? That’s where the Exposome comes in. From fighting childhood autism or asthma, to treating cognitive decline in our elderly, addressing the environmental and lifestyle factors affecting cancer, building supportive healthy living environments, and better regulating of environmental and psychosocial stressors such as atmospheric pollution, pesticides or food colorants and even social isolation. Better understanding these exposures is where today’s research efforts must lie. That said, science has been slow to take on this new collaborative challenge of mapping how our environments shape our all-round health from conception to death, until now.
The Human Exposome marks an unprecedented change in how the world views both understanding what can harm us and fighting disease. It aims to match the Human Genome Project in its scope and ambition. The Human Exposome can provide usable metrics and data points to inform targeted public health interventions while still being in the early stages of development and planning. This has been made possible by the integration of technologies like advanced sensors, high-resolution mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, bioinformatics, expanding datasets on environmental stressors obtained through geospatial applications, and enhanced understanding of social determinants of health. All this combined with recent advances in artificial intelligence and big data analytics, is making such a discovery-driven initiative feasible and actionable, even as the initiative develops. Furthermore, this Moonshot is timed to integrate and complement ongoing research projects worldwide. From a recent Department of Defense reportcalling for the US to be more exposome-driven, the EU’s clean industrial deal, European Climate Adaptation Plan, One Health Strategy, or Cancer Mission initiatives along with increasing public awareness and academic interest, it is clear that research efforts, funding and policy-making are all pointing in the same direction: we need to chart the exposome.
The Exposome Moonshot Forum, May 12-15: Liftoff to the Next Phase. The inaugural Washington D.C. event will culminate in a Declaration Ceremony, signaling a commitment to global collaboration, innovation and inclusion in shaping the future of exposomic science as a new field. This is a critical first step in establishing shared responsibility in meeting the goals identified and strategy outlined during the intensive four-day event.
This multi-day, onsite gathering with further inputs from select speakers given remotely, is purposely intended as an open platform for discussion towards the agreement of a next-steps roadmap. To encourage new-thinking and impact-orientated suggestions, delegates will be asked to actively respond to fixed thematic panels and contribute to breakout sessions designed around four core objectives:
Defining the ethical, legal and societal dimensions of exposomics;
Leveraging A.I. and big data in environmental health analytics;
Establishing global coordination models and shared research infrastructures; &
Crafting a launch strategy for the Human Exposome.
The Organizing Committee is actively fielding interest from individuals and organizations to join newly established global working groups. Their task will be to create a viable framework for the Exposome Moonshot to categorize, document and chart all of our biological and chemical exposures.
Hearing from Experts and Participants:
Professor Gary Miller, Organizing Committee Member & Director of the Center for Innovative Exposomics at Columbia University speaking at the Moonshot Forum’s Opening Ceremony stated that: “For many of us, this is without doubt the greatest public health opportunity of our time. We will succeed. If we simply pool together the ongoing exposome research capabilities we have available right now, like that occurring in labs throughout the U.S. and Europe, we will already kickstart a revolution in medicine, public health and environmental protection saving countless lives.” He added that: “It is important that those of us who have been actively engaged in the scientific research do not prejudge outcomes and remain in listening mode. We must get out of our bubbles and make this a truly open, transparent and global endeavor and learn from the wide variety of stakeholders who are participating. The readiness to get involved has been tremendous. That is why there is so much palpable excitement here today.”
Dr. Nicole Kleinstreuer, Organizing Committee Member & Acting NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives. stated that: “My background is in mathematical and computational modelling of biological systems to better represent human health and disease pathways and their susceptibility to external factors. For me, if set up correctly, mapping the Human Exposome is an absolutely essential project to understand the impact of the environment on our health and support important initiatives like chronic disease research.”.
Professor Thomas Hartung, Organizing Committee Member & Executive Director for the Centre for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) stated that: “I’ve worn many hats in science but mapping the exposome is the biggest and most welcome challenge of my career. When you think that we know conservatively of 350,000 chemicals registered for marketing world-wide, for which we have data on less than 10% or that we add 4,500 chemicals in our food in the US with data on less than 20%, it seems like a public health world gone mad.” He added that: “The value-added of doing this for the public purse is tremendous. By correctly identifying what does and does not harm us, we not only bring up to speed 60-year-old animal tests that are 20-40% inaccurate, but we also drastically help cut the costs and administrative burdens on federal resources. Vaping alone gave us 6.7 million registered products to test. It’s unsustainable.”
Professor Rémi Quirion, Chief Scientist of Quebec & President of the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA), Organizer of the second day’s ‘From the Lab to the Law Policy Plenary Panel’ stated that: “We have seen with GMOs and Stem Cells how difficult it can be to get everybody on-board when new technology trains are fast leaving the station. Science can get ahead of itself and the dialogue between experts, policymakers and end-user citizens has never been straight-forward. Giving and taking scientific advice are two different things.” He added: “That is precisely why the Exposome Moonshot Forum Community are hitting the nail on the head by bringing all stakeholders to the table early-on. Foresight knowledge is the only way to iron out the wrinkles and set yourselves up for success. Going forward, we at INGSA are happy to stay involved to help explain and bridge the science and policy worlds.”
Dr. Fenna Sillé, Organizing Committee Member, Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University and Deputy Director of the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), leading the exposome program and studies on how environmental exposures change the immune system, stated that: “This gathering has made it clear: from Washington to Wellington, from Dublin to Durban, there is a shared global commitment to charting a new course for public health. The exposome has emerged as a shared scientific frontier, with leadership taking shape across continents. This forum marks a historic milestone — the first exposome event of its kind to unite international stakeholders across disciplines — and a turning point toward a future where health is understood not only through our genes, but through the full complexity of our environments. Crucially, we have begun addressing the core questions of data ownership, governance, and ethical responsibility that must guide this work from the outset. The Human Exposome will redefine medicine, prevention, and equity — shifting our focus from what we inherit to include what we encounter. We are proud to have sparked this momentum here, and even more determined to carry it forward together."
Professor Roel Vermeulen, Organizing Committee Member & Professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Exposome Science at Utrecht University and the University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands stated that: “Mastering the exposome is key to building a healthier, fairer future for everyone, not just in the EU but in the 46 countries of our continent and worldwide. We have many excellent, ongoing EU studies already showing remarkable results on Parkinson’s disease, chemical mixtures in the blood of pregnant women and the crucial role of socioeconomic determinants of health.” He added that: “I am very proud to have led a major exposome report at the European Parliament mapped onto seven key policy areas: cities, chemicals, climate, child health, career, clinical practice, and citizens. We are calling for investments in data and analytical infrastructures, advanced data analytics, and for the creation of a 10 million-people strong research cohort and biobank to give us the statistical power and subpopulation diversity we need to study life-course exposures and their biological impact at scale. I am confident that the carrier-wave created here in D.C. can help us form a powerful start of a Human Exposome Initiative. Watch this space, because we are creating momentum to fully integrate exposome into Europe’s data-driven health future. My personal conviction is that this important work must be a shared public good, anchored in citizen involvement and open data.”
Professor Dimosthenis (Denis) Sarigiannis, Organizing Committee Member, Director and Chairman of the Board of the National Hellenic Research Foundation, Professor of Environmental Health Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) and the Institute for Advanced Study of Pavia (Italy), stated that: “Unraveling the human exposome is one of the noblest endeavors modern science and society can fathom. Doing so, will complete the puzzle that started to get filled by the decoding of the human genome in order to combat disease effectively, while at the same time promoting sustainable innovation for all. The Human Exposome Moonshot is a game changer in public health, environmental science and engineering and international cooperation for the benefit of mankind and the planet. Our work over the last twenty years in deciphering the exposome now has the chance to bring about real positive change on the world scene. If as the father of Medicine, Hippocrates, once said, “it is better to prevent than to treat”, the human exposome is the key to efficient and comprehensive precision prevention. The National Hellenic Research Foundation of Greece is steadfastly supporting this global initiative with all its resources.”
Professor Jana Klanova, Professor of Environmental Chemistry at Masaryk University and director of RECETOX, stated “Considering the thousands of chemicals we are dealing with as well as other physical, biological, socioeconomic and psychological stressors, the Human Exposome Project is even more challenging than the Human Genome was. We cannot succeed without building an international framework and sufficient infrastructural capacity to match the million human genome projects. This framework must embrace not just scientists but innovative companies, policy makers and the public. Interdisciplinary collaborations across the scientific and infrastructural domains, and the strong focus on quality, accessibility and reproducibility of data are crucial for future success.”
Definition: Exposome is the integrated compilation of all physical, chemical, biological and psychosocial
influences that impact the body.
Further Media Briefing Information
Even though the Exposome Moonshot Forum is full and closed for general registration, the organizers are keen to involve reporters and public information officers in the discussions. Science communication is an integral part of the project’s success.
If you would like to pre-register to attend the full conference; would like to drop-in any day; attend the technical press briefing on Thursday 15th May (details below); or if you have any follow-up questions or requests for specific comments or interviews, please contact:
Eliza Cole: ecole28@jh.edu
A technical media briefing will be held live and online at 12 PM EST Thursday, May 15th, 2025.
Please register in advance to join the virtual briefing: https://jh.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_h2Sn41zkR1CtZP0CtQRoiA
Useful Links:
To learn more about the Exposome Moonshot Forum and the Human Exposome Project, visit https://exposomemoonshot.org
Organizing Committee - Exposome Moonshot Forum
Event Program
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