Description:

The ‘Helmholtz Virtual Institute of Complex Molecular Systems in Environmental Health’ – HICE will investigate the biological effects of aerosols from relevant anthropogenic sources. The background to this is the health effects of aerosols (so-called ‘fine dust’) from combustion processes (car/truck traffic, heating, etc.) known from epidemiological studies. In addition to the precise chemical and physical analysis of the composition of the aerosols, the biological effects will be investigated primarily using innovative in vitro lung tissue models. The biological effects of the model systems' exposure to gases, particles and aerosols from relevant combustion processes will be recorded at various biological levels (transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, toxicological parameters) using state-of-the-art analytical and molecular biological techniques.

Through a joint comprehensive statistical analysis of both chemical and biological data, the scientists involved in HICE aim to gain insights into the causes and mechanisms of air pollution-related diseases and possible measures for their prevention. A special aspect of HICE is the investigation of the possible health effects of aerosols from sources that will become more important in the future as a result of the energy transition (i.e. the use of biofuels and biomass combustion). The Helmholtz Centre in Munich aims to understand the mechanisms underlying common diseases and to derive new approaches for diagnosis, therapy and prevention.

Funding organisation: Helmholtz Association

Project manager:

• Benjamin Stengel

Project website