1. Potential for Collaboration between EUCCONET and other European Projects Martine Vrijheid
EUCCONET Workshop Feb, Paris

2. CREAL Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology
Founded in 2006
13 senior researchers, over 70 staff and students
Main programs: Child Health, Respiratory Disease, Cancer
Coordinators of
INMA – Spanish birth cohorts (Prof Jordi Sunyer)
RHEA – Crete birth cohort (Prof Manolis Kogevinas)
Recommendations by the Scientific Advisory Committee (2007) to become more actively involved in European initiatives related to birth cohorts…

3. FP 7 calls 2008 ENVIRONMENT HEALTH Coordination actions
ENV Databases based on European cohort studies and their exploitation for advancement of knowledge of environment-health relationships (Feb 2008).
ENRIECO: Environmental Health Risks in European Birth Cohorts: Exploring environment and health exposure response relationships in pregnancy and birth cohorts. Start 1 March 2009.
HEALTH
HEALTH : Birth/Mother - Child Cohorts co-ordination.
CHICOS: Developing a Child Cohort Research Strategy for Europe. Submitted Dec 2008.
Coordination actions

4. ENRIECO Led by Mark Nieuwenhuijsen (CREAL)
Partners: INSERM (France), University of Utrecht (Netherlands), Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen (Germany), University of Crete (Greece), Karolinska (Sweden), Charite University Medical Centre Berlin (Germany), Aarhus University (Denmark).
Start: 1 March 2009
Duration: 2 years
Aim: to advance knowledge on specific environment and health relationships in pregnancy and birth cohorts by providing support to data exploitation.

5. ENRIECO - objectives Inventory of birth cohorts (WP1)
Including information on health data, exposure data, biological samples, expertise, access…
Build on inventory started for
Searchable internet database
Data collection through direct contact with cohorts, questionnaires, etc.
Focus on pregnancy/birth cohorts that have environmental exposure data (definitions to be finalised)

6. ENRIECO - objectives
Evaluation of exposure data (WP 2) and health data (WP3)
Evaluation of methods and tools used by different cohorts
Collect information on biobanks
Recommendations for potential future harmonisation
Working groups on specific exposures (air pollution, water, pesticides, heavy metals, noise, etc) and health outcomes (birth outcomes, asthma, neurodevelopment, etc)

7. ENRIECO - objectives
Evaluation of existing exposure-response relationships (WP4)
Focus on per-reviewed literature
Potential for future pooled or meta- analyses
Working groups on specific themes, e.g.:
Air pollution and asthma
Pesticides and birth outcomes
Heavy metals and neurodevelopment
Etc..
Database building, assurance of quality and interoperability, data access, analysis and validation (WP5)
Case studies to evaluate problems in database building
Dissemination through websites, workshops, etc

8. ENRIECO – role of cohorts
Participation of birth cohorts essential
Inventory: information on protocols, tools and methods
Participation in working groups
Participation in workshops and meetings
30+ have confirmed participation
Kick-Off Meeting: May
One representative from each cohort
Presentation of protocols and organisation of work
I will start today with some background to radiation risk protection and will then present in detail the methods and results of a large study of nuclear workers that has been carried out by IARC… Myself and Elisabeth Cardis, the PI of this study, joined CREAL this year and with this we expect that radiation epi will become an important new research focus. As part of this I will present the results of this important study

9. CHICOS Developing a Child Cohort Strategy for Europe
Coordination Action
Led by Martine Vrijheid (CREAL)
Partners:
Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen – Denmark
Manolis Kogevinas – Spain/Greece
Franco Merletti – Italy
Vincent Jaddoe – The Netherlands
Camilla Stoltenberg – Norway
Debbie Lawlor/Patricia Lucas – Bristol, UK
Submitted Dec 2008, awaiting evaluation
I will start today with some background to radiation risk protection and will then present in detail the methods and results of a large study of nuclear workers that has been carried out by IARC… Myself and Elisabeth Cardis, the PI of this study, joined CREAL this year and with this we expect that radiation epi will become an important new research focus. As part of this I will present the results of this important study

10. CHICOS
Aim
To develop an integrated strategy for mother-child cohort research in Europe.
Objectives
To make an inventory
To evaluate existing information from cohorts on child health outcomes and determinants
Identify gaps in knowledge
Develop recommendations for research action
Focus on key areas of policy concern
To review link between child cohort research and policy and make recommendations to improve the contribution if mother-child cohort research to policy at European level
Dissemination

11. CHICOS - Work packages WP 1: Inventory WP 2: Childhood diseases
Criteria for inclusion more general than ENRIECO
WP 2: Childhood diseases
Perinatal outcomes; Asthma, respiratory health, allergies; Obesity, vascular and metabolic health; Neuro-cognitive and behavioural development; Accidents and injuries; Infectious diseases; Childhood cancer.
WP 3: Determinants
Social/cultural determinants, inequalities; Nutrition and physical activity; Life-style exposures; Environmental exposures; Biobanks and genetics; Multiple determinants.
WP 4: Policy
 Participation of cohorts essential

12. Potential for Collaboration?
Inventory of cohorts in Europe
Collection of information on tools and methods
Working groups
Recommendations for harmonisation and pooling/meta-analyses
Meetings/workshops
Websites
I will start today with some background to radiation risk protection and will then present in detail the methods and results of a large study of nuclear workers that has been carried out by IARC… Myself and Elisabeth Cardis, the PI of this study, joined CREAL this year and with this we expect that radiation epi will become an important new research focus. As part of this I will present the results of this important study