Mission: 

This website is an initiative of the Center for Environmental Research and Technology, University of Bremen, Germany and the Bremen Institute for Preventive Research, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (BIPSE) to promote integrated projects within the 6th framework programme of the EU (6th FP) in the field of research on susceptibility and its social impact. It shall be a forum for discussions and a platform for building a consortium. Possible projects will be posted in a non-public area to be discussed and developed among the participants of the network.

The European Commission intends to fund projects within the 6th FP which encompass a so called critical mass of expertise in the field. A two-step process is planned. The first was a call for expression of interest, the second is a call for submission of proposals. The submission of expressions of interests was made by a formed consortium

Abstract
The project's aim is to bring together European competence in a multitude of disciplines in order to gain new knowledge about susceptibility for cancer and to provide it to health care professionals, life science industry, regulatory authorities and the entire society. Genes, acquired factors, environmental exposures and their interaction will be functionally characterized. Studies on mechanisms of susceptibility, molecular epidemiology and functional genomics using high throughput platforms will allow new insights into aetiology and pathogenesis of human disease and provide the basis for improved strategies for prevention, diagnosis and individualized treatment to combat cancer. Integral parts will be the assessment of the accuracy, the relevance and the ethical and regulatory consequences of genetic testing, and the risk communication about cancer susceptible genotypes. The project's aim is to bring together European competence in a multitude of disciplines in order to gain new knowledge about susceptibility for cancer and to provide it to health care professionals, life science industry, regulatory authorities and the entire society. Genes, acquired factors, environmental exposures and their interaction will be functionally characterized. Studies on mechanisms of susceptibility, molecular epidemiology and functional genomics using high throughput platforms will allow new insights into aetiology and pathogenesis of human disease and provide the basis for improved strategies for prevention, diagnosis and individualized treatment to combat cancer. Integral parts will be the assessment of the accuracy, the relevance and the ethical and regulatory consequences of genetic testing, and the risk communication about cancer susceptible genotypes.

Susceptibility has become widely discussed in a variety of fields in life-science over the last few years:

• molecular epidemiology and toxicology risk assessment,
• medical diagnostics and therapy,
• radiation biology,
• pharmacology,
• occupational and environmental health

Susceptibility describes the higher probability of an individual to develop certain diseases under a given exposure or set of exposures. This is in most cases associated to a higher sensitivity of these individuals to a specific exogenous or endogenous substance or a physical agent. Thus the terms are often used interchangingly or as synonyms. In practice the investigation of susceptibility often deals with populations exposed to an agent. The differential risk of a subgroup with a specific polymorphism in certain genes or bearing other inherited or acquired factors is then determined.

In many cases of environmental exposure sensitive subgroups appear to be present, but as yet there are no reliable and validated or even standardized methods available to allow for an objective identification of sensitive individuals. At the same time, there is an intensive debate about multiple chemical sensitivity and sensitivity to electro-magnetic fields that requires risk communication to an informed public or even regulatory elements.

Besides the growing scientific interest there is a big debate about the use of the knowledge arising from the human genome project, which identified a multitude of polymorphic genes involved in the causation of differences of susceptibility of subgroups of populations. With the increasing knowledge about genetic predispositions many new ethical and legal issues arise in terms of self determination of individual genetic information, the right of not knowing, the quality of knowledge susceptibility and the consequences for individual risk.

 

An integrated project within the 6th framework programme should address open key questions in the field of basic research, applied research and the regulatory field. Therefore interdisciplinary networking is required to address the open questions and scientists, stakeholders and the regulatory body should be integrated.

Among the key questions in the fields of basic research are:

• Identification of genes involved in individual susceptibility
• Identification of mechanisms of susceptibility
• Acquired sensitivity/susceptibility
• Methods for objective measurements of sensitivity
• Quality criteria for identification of genotype associated to higher risk

Key questions in the applied field are:

• Individualisation of radiotherapy doses
• Individualisation of chemotherapy doses
• Individualisation of other medications

 

Key questions in the regulatory field are

Introduction of knowledge about susceptibility  and sensitivity in the setting permissible levels of environmental and occupational exposures and risk estimates

Modification of protective measures for susceptible subgroups

Regulation of informational self determination (as to who is given permission to use genetic information)

The key questions in the regulatory field concern the setting of rules and standards to protect best interests of individuals, their relatives and the society, issues of data protection and informed consent.
A critical mass was mobilized by starting this initiative in an attempt to establish a consortium of integrated working groups with scientific credibility and excellence.

Boris Oberheitmann, PhD, Coordinator of the research division „Risk Research for Man and Environment”, UFT University of Bremen

Carsten Harms, PhD, Laboratory for Bioanalytics, UFT University of Bremen

Wolfgang Hoffmann, MD, MPH, Head of interdisciplinary work group on biomarkers in epidemiology, UFT, BIPSE


Rainer Frentzel-Beyme, MD, MPH, Head of Division of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, UFT, University of Bremen, BIPSE, Center of Public Health