The exposome: cracking the science about what makes us sick

The exposome: cracking the science about what makes us sick

Instructors: Roel Vermeulen

2,176 already enrolled

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Assessments

4 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

There are 6 modules in this course

What are the causes of disease? We know that most diseases result from a combination of genes and environment (nature and nurture). Our genes alone do not determine our fate. For most complex diseases, externalities - environmental factors in the broad sense - are more important. This includes our living and working environments, diet, social support and stress, pollution, and exposure to infectious agents. Exposome research is about discovering the non-genetic drivers of health and disease.

Derived from the term exposure, the Exposome represents the totality of exposures we face throughout our lifetime. It also represents the biological responses that arise from external exposures. In this course, 7 researchers from Utrecht University and/or the NWO Gravitation programme Exposome-NL will offer their expertise. We will introduce you to the Exposome concept; why it’s important; how we measure the exposome; and the data sciences steps needed to establish associations with health outcomes. This course will conclude with reflections on what is needed to advance this nascent and transformative field of research. Exposome research requires transdisciplinary approaches. Therefore, this MOOC will be of interest to current and prospective students and researchers in the fields of public health, environmental health, life sciences, clinical medicine, geosciences, humanities, and social and behavioural sciences.

Welcome! Here you will find general information about the course. The learning objectives, the structure, and the requirements of completion will be presented to you. We will kick off with an introductory lecture by Prof. dr. Roel Vermeulen, a peer discussion assignment and a short quiz.

What's included

1 video4 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

1 videoTotal 7 minutes

What is the Exposome and how has it evolved to its current conception?7 minutes

4 readingsTotal 75 minutes

Welcome to the course10 minutes
About the course10 minutes
Short survey10 minutes
The exposome: a wild idea45 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 15 minutes

Test your knowledge15 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 35 minutes

Introduce yourself5 minutes
Peer discussion30 minutes

This week we will learn about how Exposome approaches are changing research into the etiology of cardiovascular diseases.

What's included

1 video2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

This week we will address what the external Exposome is and how we can assess it. We will focus on two exposures: air pollution and the food environment.

What's included

2 videos2 readings2 discussion prompts

2 videosTotal 11 minutes

What's in the air: how to measure the invisible6 minutes
Geospatical access to food: how it influences our dietary choices and the risk of developing chronic diseases5 minutes

2 readingsTotal 65 minutes

Introduction week 35 minutes
Measuring the external exposome60 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 90 minutes

Peer discussion30 minutes
Adding air quality to city planning60 minutes

This week we delve into what the internal Exposome is, with a focus on metabolomics as one important approach.

What's included

1 video2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

This week we look at the role of data science in Exposome research and the novel data science solutions.

What's included

1 video2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

In this final week of the course Roel Vermeulen describes which exposome deliverables we can expect in the near future. Some of the experts reflect on challenges and future perspectives in the field of Exposome research.