Short Description
Exposome Austria is the ESFRI-Research Infrastructure dedicated to the advancement of exposomic research and technology in Austria.
Established in January 2022 at the University of Vienna, it serves as the national node of the ESFRI- infrastructure EIRENE that aims to fill the gap in the European infrastructural landscape and to pioneer the first EU infrastructure on the human exposome. The EIRENE consortium currently includes more than 20 European countries and the USA and over 50 partners. In the future, EIRENE intends to expand its reach to other continents.
Exposome Austria consortium partners include these institutions:
• University of Vienna (coordination)
• Medical University of Vienna
• Medical University of Innsbruck
• Environment Agency Austria
Within Exposome Austria, two 'Open Lab' infrastructures at the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Innsbruck are intended to be established in close cooperation with existing mass spectrometry core facilities. In addition, the analytical facilities at the Environment Agency Austria, while not intended to be open, are part of the Austrian EIRENE strategy. These centers of excellence for measuring the chemical exposure of population groups examine urine, blood, umbilical cord blood, breast milk, placental tissue, and environmental samples, applying innovative targeted and non-targeted analytical methods. In addition to exposure measurements, the biological effects triggered by chemical exposures might be investigated holistically and systematically by the provided services.
The founding institutions, the European Union, and the BMBWF and BMK support Exposome Austria.
Contact Person
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Benedikt Warth, Bakk.
Research Services
Exposome Austria focuses on the establishment of innovative mass spectrometry-based analytical services.
• Next-generation biomonitoring
Validated LC-MS method with quantitative results for plasticizers, mycoestrogens and metabolites, perfluorinated alkylated substances, industrial side products and pesticides, phytoestrogens and metabolites, phytotoxins, personal care product ingredients/pharmaceuticals and metabolites, disinfection by-products, food processing by-products, and air pollutants. Biological matrices: serum, plasma, urine, and breast milk.
• Non-targeted analysis (Biological Matrices)
Non-targeted/Suspect screening of xenobiotics; type of measurement: LC-HRMS with both relative and (if requested) absolute quantitation. Biological matrices: serum, plasma, urine and breast milk.
• Non-targeted analysis (Environmental Matrices)
Non-targeted/Suspect screening of xenobiotics, including illicit drugs, pharmaceuticals, environmental pollutants, industrial chemicals, pesticides, personal care products, and metabolites thereof. Matrices: water and wastewater
• Multi-metal analysis
Absolute quantification of multiple elements (metals, metalloids, non-metals) in biological and environmental samples by state-of-the-art inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, in a clean room environment. Sample preparation for multi-element analysis (heating block or microwave-assisted acid digestion) of biological and environmental samples, in a clean room environment.
• Multi-PFAS analysis
Validated LC-MS method with quantitative results for PFAS for various biological matrices.
These core services may be expanded upon the needs of the involved research institutions and other stakeholders during the later phases of the research infrastructure-building process. For an updated overview, the status of all our services as well as sending out service requests, we recommend following the Exposome Austria website: https://exposome.at/
Methods & Expertise for Research Infrastructure
1. Analytical method development
2. Early-life chemical exposome and its impact on health and disease
Equipment
Medical University of Vienna (Partner Institution)
Medical University of Innsbruck (Partner Institution)
Environment Agency Austria (Partner Institution)
https://exposome.at/links/
ESFRI EIRENE RI: Environmental Exposure Assessment Research Infrastructure
https://www.eirene-ri.eu/
Hossain, M.Z., Feuerstein, M.L., Gu, Y. and Warth, B., 2024. Scaling up a targeted exposome LC-MS/MS biomonitoring method by incorporating veterinary drugs and pesticides. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 416(19), pp.4369-4382.
Hartmann, C., Jamnik, T., Weiss, S., Göß, M., Fareed, Y., Satrapa, V., Braun, D., Flasch, M., Warth, B. and Uhl, M., 2023. Results of the Austrian Children's Biomonitoring Survey 2020 part A: Per-and polyfluorinated alkylated substances, bisphenols, parabens and other xenobiotics. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 249, p.114-123.
Ayeni, K. I., Jamnik, T., Fareed, Y., Flasch, M., Braun, D., Uhl, M., Hartmann, C., & Warth, B. (2023). The Austrian children's biomonitoring survey 2020 Part B: Mycotoxins, phytotoxins, phytoestrogens and food processing contaminants. Food and chemical toxicology: an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 182, 114173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2023.114173
Krausová, M., Braun, D., Buerki-Thurnherr, T., Gundacker, C., Schernhammer, E., Wisgrill, L. and Warth, B., 2023. Understanding the chemical exposome during fetal development and early childhood: a review. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 63, pp.517-540.
Flasch, M., Fitz, V., Rampler, E., Ezekiel, C.N., Koellensperger, G. and Warth, B., 2022. Integrated exposomics/metabolomics for rapid exposure and effect analyses. JACS Au, 2 (11), pp.2548-2560.
Granitzer, S., Widhalm, R., Atteneder, S., Fernandez, M.F., Mustieles, V., Zeisler, H., Hengstschläger, M. and Gundacker, C., 2023. BDNF and KISS-1 Levels in Maternal Serum, Umbilical Cord, and Placenta: The Potential Role of Maternal Levels as Effect Biomarker. Exposure and Health, pp.1-17.
Jamnik, T., Flasch, M., Braun, D., Fareed, Y., Wasinger, D., Seki, D., Berry, D., Berger, A., Wisgrill, L. and Warth, B., 2022. Next-generation biomonitoring of the early-life chemical exposome in neonatal and infant development. Nature Communications, 13 (1), p.2653.
Ayeni, K.I., Berry, D., Wisgrill, L., Warth, B. and Ezekiel, C.N., 2022. Early-life chemical exposome and gut microbiome development: African research perspectives within a global environmental health context. Trends in microbiology.