A trusted partner in environmental research

Fetal Exposomics modulated by placental metabolism (FEMME)

101278300

Chemical exposures during pregnancy are a major global health concern, as even very low concentrations can disrupt fetal development and increase long-term disease risk. Current exposome studies, however, largely neglect the placenta, a biochemical gatekeeper that not only restricts but also metabolizes chemicals, potentially generating metabolites that are less, equally, or more toxic. FEMME (Fetal Exposomics Modulated by placental MEtabolism) will systematically integrate placental metabolism into exposome research by analyzing 300 paired maternal, placental, and cord blood samples from the INSULIN mother–child cohort. The project will (1) identify and characterize placental metabolites of up to 800 environmental chemicals, (2) integrate these metabolites into exposome-wide epidemiological models linking prenatal exposures to developmental outcomes, and (3) unravel maternal and environmental determinants of individual variability in placental metabolism. By combining my expertise in chemica metabolism with the world-class strengths in exposomics and epidemiology at IDAEA-CSIC, particularly that of Dr. Montse Marquès, FEMME Will create a transformative framework for prenatal exposomics with the potential to advance chemical risk assessment and protect maternal and child health.

Start Date: 01/01/2027 – End Date: 31/12/2028

Semiquantification based on ionization efficiency for human exposure leveraging ion mobility separation

101284472

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101284472

Start Date: 16/09/2026 – End Date: 15/09/2028

Tracking marine pollutant cocktails and their ecological impact with advanced analytical, technological and toxicological tools

101291975

SEATRACE will deepen knowledge of marine pollution by characterizing complex cocktails of marine pollutants (MrPs) in coastal regions of the Atlantic, Arctic and Indian Oceans, and Mediterranean Sea. This will be accomplished by determining hazardous MrPs and assessing their toxicity on key marine organisms across global climate change and their cumulative effects on marine communities and human health. Active and passive sampling approaches, bio/chemical analytical methods, aquatic sensors and drones, and next-generation cumulative risk assessment will be applied. A key innovation is the integration of the monitoring tools with effect-based methods (EBMs) including effect-directed analysis (EDA) to identify and prioritize hotspots at risk and toxic components within MrPs mixtures, enhancing the accuracy of ecological and human health risk assessments. The human exposure to seafood-borne MrPs will be assessed in seafood health and economy, providing strategies to enhance seafood safety confidence and support fisheries trust.

SEATRACE will strengthen European Union (EU)-India research collaboration on MrPs and plastic litter through the joint work of EU and Indian organization. Additionally, the Indian partners will apply innovative pilot solutions to reduce marine plastics at key hotspots, including waste recycling to meet national requirements. They will contribute with expertise across the seawater management value chain, from knowledge providers to end-users. SEATRACE will address the following mid-term outcomes: i) exploitation of four monitoring tools including Passive sampling (chemical, plastic litter, and parasitic copepods), bacterial and human cell-based new approach methods (NAMs), optical sensors and drones and the application of EBMs/EDA to marine environments; ii) development of robust, evidence-based tools and models for risk assessment and policy-making at local and global scales; and iii) fostering EU–India cooperation for harmonized and effective protection of marine ecosystems and public health.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101291975.

Start Date: 01/09/2026 – End Date: 31/08/2030

Soil remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to layered double hydroxides (LDHs) ¿ Development, regeneration and mechanisms for injectable soil encapsulating sorbent (LDH-PFAS-SORP)

101204389

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101204389

Start Date: 01/09/2026 – End Date: 31/08/2028

Decoding transplacental transfer of environmental chemicals – from active transporters to fetal growth (PLACEXPO)

LEO26-1-21117

Pregnant women are routinely exposed to complex mixtures of environmental chemicals, yet their impact on fetal development depends on how much reaches the fetal compartment. The placenta regulates this — but is not impermeable: chemicals can cross it, accumulate in its tissue, or be actively transported to the fetus. Mechanisms governing inter-individual variability in this transfer are poorly understood, and no study has tested whether placental transporter expression is a key determinant. PLACEXPO asks: does variability in placental active transport gene expression explain why identical prenatal exposures lead to different fetal transfer and growth outcomes? Embedded within the INSULIN mother-child cohort (2021–ongoing; Hospital Joan XXIII, Tarragona), directed by the PI of PLACEXPO, the project builds on PREGO (placental and maternal chemical exposome) and FEMME (placental metabolic transformation) to address the missing piece: cord serum chemical profiling to calculate compound-specific transfer ratios, and transporter gene expression quantification in placental tissue. Preliminary data from 23 INSULIN dyads show physicochemical properties cannot predict placental partitioning — direct motivation for the active transport hypothesis. Three objectives structure the project: (i) quantify >600 environmental chemicals in cord serum and calculate compound-specific placental transfer ratios; (ii) characterize expression of five placental active transporter genes (ABCB1, ABCG2, ABCC2, SLCO2B1, SLC22A8) by RT-qPCR; and (iii) integrate chemical, molecular and clinical data to test whether transporter expression determines inter-individual variability in placental transfer and mediates its consequences for fetal growth. PLACEXPO will deliver the first population-level framework linking the placental chemical exposome, its molecular determinants and fetal growth — positioning the placenta as an active regulator of prenatal chemical risk.

Start Date: 01/08/2026 – End Date: 31/01/2028

Diagnóstico ambiental de contaminantes orgânicos em águas superficiais: análise de compostos alvo e triagem de suspeitos em diferentes contextos de uso do solo

24/21596-3

Surface water pollution by organic compounds requires pollution control measures to protect aquatic life and human health. This need is even more urgent in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events resulting from climate change, which impact the dispersion and dissipation of these contaminants. Thousands of compounds can reach rivers running through urban and agricultural areas, requiring studies capable of identifying a relevant number of substances to enable the identification of pollution sources and comprehensive risk assessments. Thus, with the help of multi-criteria tools, it is possible to identify the contaminants that should be prioritized and controlled in different Brazilian regions. In this research project, an assessment of the presence of a large number of organic compounds—including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial compounds—will be carried out in river basins located in the states of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and São Paulo (SP). The State of RS was chosen because it features different characteristics in agricultural and industrial areas, as well as distinct climate conditions, thereby expanding knowledge on how different activities affect surface water quality.

In this study, surface water sampling campaigns will be conducted over the course of one year at various points along the different rivers under evaluation. The contaminants will be analyzed using target analysis approaches to determine around 270 compounds using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS techniques. In addition, samples will also be analyzed using a suspect screening methodology via LC-QTOF MS, allowing for the verification of approximately 3500 contaminants. The detected concentrations will be correlated with land use and occupation in the different studied regions to identify the main sources of contamination. Finally, a risk assessment for the aquatic ecosystem will be performed, and the most concerning contaminants in each region will be identified. As a result of this project, it will be possible to provide an environmental diagnosis of these regions regarding the presence of organic contaminants in surface waters, supporting decision-making within public policies aimed at pollution control and environmental protection.

Start Date: 01/07/2026 – End Date: 30/06/2029

REDUCING PLASTICULTURE IMPACTS ON WATER RESOURCES AND ENHANCING RESILIENCE IN MEDITERRANEAN AGRICULTURE (MED-AGRIPLAST)

PCI2026-177439-1

This work has been supported by the MED-AGRIPLAST project (PRIMA/SECTION 2 2025 - MULTI-TOPIC). The project is funded by the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA), co-funded by the European Union, and by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades / Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) through grant number PCI2026-177439-1.

Start Date: 01/06/2026 – End Date: 31/05/2029

Implantación de un sistema de tratamiento basado en la naturaleza (SAT) con barrera reactiva para la eliminación de nitratos en los vertidos del área del Mar Menor (Murcia). (DESNITRIFICA)

ENTIDAD FINANCIADORA: CDTI/Aqualia (FCC). Fondos Europeos FEDER

Start Date: 08/05/2026 – End Date: 31/03/2029

Toxigogenómica en Daphnmia magna aplicada a One health

202680E029

PROYECTOS INTRAMURALES CSIC(2025)

Start Date: 01/05/2026 – End Date: 30/04/2031

ACTRIS NEXT

101270574

Start Date: 01/05/2026 – End Date: 31/10/2030