| |
|
Headlines:
|
 |
Back to Pediatrics Articles
|
|
|
|
The research project, PIONEER, addresses the phenomenon of
precocious puberty suspected to be linked with environmental factors.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A specific targeted research project funded through the
European Commission, 6th Framework Programme, Priority 5,
Food Quality and Safety. The European Commission has pointed
out the need to improve the health and well-being of
European citizens through a higher quality of their food,
improved control of food production and of related
environmental factors.
Identification of environmental factors that are detrimental to
health, and better understanding of the mechanisms involved are
necessary to determine how to prevent or minimize these effects and
risks.
Environmental exposures during development are considered to be of
special importance. Developing organ systems may be very susceptible
to various exogenous factors, and exposures during the critical
stages of development may result in long-term and permanent adverse
effects. The new research project, PIONEER, addresses the phenomenon
of precocious puberty (early onset of puberty), observed in humans
in Europe and other parts of the world, and suspected to be linked
with environmental, including nutritional factors. It should be
pointed out that besides the environment, numerous intrinsic
physiological and genetic factors regulate the onset of puberty, and
by and large the mechanisms that underlay the onset of normal
puberty and its pathological variant, precocious puberty, are still
poorly understood. Therefore, in order to understand the possible
roles of environmental factors in the etiology of precocious
puberty, PIONEER will also explore the endogenous factors that
regulate the physiology of puberty onset.
Nutritional factors influence human health through complex
interactions between the genetic susceptibility, other environmental
exposures, life-style factors and socio-economic factors. PIONEER
aims at identifying nutritional factors that are directly or
indirectly involved in puberty onset, taking into account the
genetic background, which may determine the individual
susceptibility to exogenous factors causing early onset of puberty.
The major goal is to identify the settings in which the individuals
are at high risk to develop precocious puberty.
PIONEER consortium consists of 12 research groups with a wide range
of expertise in clinical and experimental sciences. There are 11
research groups from 6 European countries and one from Pakistan.
Funding from EC is
?3 million in total for three years.
The application process of PIONEER was supported by the CASCADE
Network of Excellence (www.cascadenet.org). CASCADE was launched in
February 2004 within EU's sixth framework programme. CASCADE aims to
provide Europeans with a durable, comprehensive and independent
network of excellence in research, risk assessment, and education on
health risks that are associated with exposure to chemical residues
in food.
###
Pioneer - Participating Institutions:
Coordinator: University of Turku, Finland Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique, France Hungarian Academy of Sciences and
Semmelweis University, Hungary Imperial College London, UK Institute
of Pediatric Endocrinology, Charite-University-Medicin Berlin,
Germany Karolinska Institute, Department of Biosciences, Sweden
Karolinska Institute, Department of Woman and Child Health, Sweden
Kuopio University Hospital, Finland The Aga Khan University,
Pakistan University of Helsinki, Finland University of Leipzig,
Germany University of Rome, Italy.
|
|
|
|
Are you a doctor or a nurse?
Do you want to join the Doctors Lounge online medical community?
Participate in editorial activities (publish, peer review, edit) and
give a helping hand to the largest online community of patients.
Click on the link below to see the requirements:
Doctors Lounge Membership
Application |
|
|
|
send
to a friend
printer
friendly version
