Imminent Disease Prediction and Prevention at the Environment Host Interface

ongoing

IMMEDIATE aims to investigate and explore the diet-microbiome-immunometabolism-axis as a sensor for health-to-disease transition and evaluate strategies to maintain an individual’s well-being. Chronic inflammation is the major root of most diseases. Understanding of this process preceding organ dysfunction or damage and identification of biomarkers in the pre-symptomatic stage and risk but also resilience factors of health-to-disease transition will enable targeted and personalized interventions to prevent irreversible organ damage. Metabolites of gut microbiota are key messengers between diet, microbiota and host, maintaining the balance of pro- and anti-inflammation. Our study takes advantage of cutting-edge omics technologies available within the IMMEDIATE consortium in conjunction with available clinical data and biospecimens from ongoing observational studies, enrolling “healthy” subjects and individuals in the pre-disease stage but with largely distinct environmental and dietary modulators, including a cohort of kidney transplant recipients in whom renal function has been “reset to baseline”. The identification of clinical and omics-derived biomarkers will – by employing AI algorithms - yield a personalized risk / resilience score of chronic inflammation and thus a better prediction of an individual’s risk of transition towards disease. A proof-of-concept intervention study with the anti-inflammatory microbe Akkermansia muciniphila will be conducted to test whether deflections of the microbiome-metabolite-immune axis can be reverted on the biomarker level but also with respect to clinical outcomes and overall well-being. Mobile apps developed by the IMMEDIATE consortium in collaboration with patient organizations tracking numerous lifestyle-related measures and providing guidance and feedback on these aspects will empower individuals to adopt and integrate these knowledge-based health interventions into their own lives, hereby self-managing their own health.