US-EC cooperation in the area of obesity and nutritional sciences research

21th meeting of the EC-US Task Force on Biotechnology Research

24 June 2011

Washington D.C., U.S.

Isabelle de Froidmont-Görtz

European Commission, DG Research

Directorate E Biotechnologies, Agriculture, Food, Unit E3 –Food –Health- Well-being

Van S. Hubbard

National Institutes of Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Why research in malnutrition?

• World facing contradictory major nutritional problems : 900 M undernourished people and 300 M obese

• Undernutrition is number one risk to health worlwide –1/7 people do not get enough food to be healthy and active

• Obesity is a major public health concern in developed and developing countries

• Life style (diet and activity) related diseases such as obesity are a risk factor for many serious illnesses => prevention and better understanding of the socio-economic determinants

• Impact on economic growth and sustainable development

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Socio-economic determinants of obesity Multi-factorial aspects influencing Food Choice and consequently

health

gender

Food Choice

prices

public policies

food availability

food accessibility

income disparities

consumer education nutrition labelling

cultural factors

life style genetic predisposition

emotions

gender

Food Choice

prices

public policies

food availability

food accessibility

income disparities

consumer education nutrition labelling

cultural factors

life style genetic predisposition

emotions

Sound scientific basis needed to:

- enable clear communication towards consumer- to identify tools to improve advice towards policy makers

Uninformed food choice and/or unbalanced diet may negatively

influence human health

High public health and social costs

Uninformed food choice and/or unbalanced diet may negatively

influence human health

High public health and social costs

Symposium at 6th annual meeting of ISBNPA: Neuroimaging and its potential application to

the study of food intake (June 2008, OSLO, NO)

PAST INITIATIVES

Supplement to Annals of Behavioral Supplement to Annals of Behavioral Medicine:August 09Medicine:August 09

2009 Workshop2009 Workshop

EC-US workshop "Early life programming of obesity“ -

A satellite congress of ECO 2009

http://www.diogenes-eu.org/ECO2009/Programme.htm

5-6 May 2009 in Noordwijkerhout, NL

Workshop on new technologies and innovations to tackle obesity Workshop on new technologies and innovations to tackle obesity -- Brussels, 16 November 2010

Objectives

• Highlight existing strategies and the current state of the art in obesity research in Europe and US

• Identify major research gaps and how international collaboration can help to address societal challenge at the global level to improve health and reduce prevalence of obesity and associated chronic non-communicable diseases

• Consider the strengths and possible barriers of the application of new technologies and innovations for new food development

Workshop Organisation3 sessions

• Session 1: Setting the strategies

• Session 2: Impact of childhood nutrition on obesity risk

• Session 3: Converging technologies, innovations to tackle obesity

Future research

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• To explore the foetal programming as a major long-term impact factor for obesity and diet related diseases.

• To analyze the long term effects of chemical toxicants on diet related diseases.

• To develop knowledge on systemic inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory cell infiltration associated with obesity in adipose tissue.

• To define a "healthy“ gut microbiome, its ability to utilize or metabolize macronutrients, influence energy expenditure as well as study the lifestyle factors influencing it.

• To develop and investigate genotype-specific diets in weight loss/ maintenance => personalised nutrition.

• To emphasize research on social determinants of life style (diet and activity) related diseases to help address social and health disparities.

• To study the effect of behaviour change from the perinatal period, including role of mother& father regarding habits and taste/determinants and process of decision making by families.

Main outcomes of past activities Main outcomes of past activities ØPublications of topics identified during the

workshops ØFacilitate and encourage the EC-US

collaborations of scientistsØInteractions with research funding agencies and

other institutions (NIH, USDA, NSF, JIFCAN, University of Maryland, IFPRI, World Bank) to stimulate greater interaction on research initiatives and collaborations and to foster dialogue upon obesity and nutritional sciences

Example of FP7 Obesity Projects Example of FP7 Obesity Projects

• NEURO FAST : The Integrated Neurobiology of Food Intake, Addiction and Stress (6 M€)

• EARLY NUTRITION: Long term impact of early nutrition on later health (9 M€)

• FULL4HEALTH: Understanding food-gut-brain mechanisms across the lifespan in the regulation of hunger and satiety (9M€)

• HAB-EAT: Determining factors and critical periods in food habit formation and breaking in early childhood: a multidisciplinary approach (3M€)

• I.FAMILY: Determinants of eating behaviour in European children,adolescents and their parents (6M€)

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Eco-innovation, Food industry, prevention diet-related diseases and disorders

EFFECT OF LIFESTYLE ON HEALTH

BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS

MICROBIOLOGICALLY SAFE WATER

IMPACT OF LABELLING ON BEHAVIOUR

PERSONALISED NUTRITION

SAFETY AND QUALITY OF SEAFOOD

FOOD ALLERGY

Consumer

Nutrition

Food processing

Food quality and safety

Total food chain and Environment

ACTIVITY 2.2

WORK PROGRAMME 2012

• Study mechanisms underlying development of diet-related diseases

• Develop new and optimise existing tools & technologies

• Support the setting of open access data banks à harmonise methodologies for data collection, entry and data handling

• Better understand effect of nutrition and lifestyle factors (physical activity, depression, stress, addiction, sleep, etc.) on mental and physical health and well-being

Gap AnalysisResearch in nutrition and health

Main directions of research in Food and Health

Cons

umer

sN

utrit

ion

Ø Determinants of food choice

Ø Communication and education strategies

Ø Neurobiology of eating behaviour

Ø Prevention of diet-related disorders

Ø Foods with human nutritional and health

benefits

Ø New tools and concepts in nutrition science

Ø Nutrition ecology / sustainable eating habits

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Converging technologiesConverging technologiesand multiand multi--disciplinary approachesdisciplinary approaches

Omics: nutrigenomics, metabolomics,proteomics…: mol. interaction and metabolic pathways

Bioinformatics : Building coherent models for physiology

Micro-nanotechnologies: structure, device (biosensors), materials (packaging)

(Neuro)-imaging Tech: rewarding/satiety/addiction.

MRI, SCANER, PET

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Planned activities

Ø Share plans for the development of respective initiativesØ Exchange of information for opportunities of international collaboration to encourage US and EC investigators to have dialogue and develop collaborationsØ Identify new and cutting edge common research topicsØ Coordinate calls and announce them on respective US and EC funding web pagesØ Co-organise or participate in the organisation of workshops with added value for transatlantic cooperation Ø Exploiration of synergies with other task force groups such as system biology

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Potential successful interactions

Ø Following review of projects submited in response of the FP7 initiative on Long-term effects of early nutrition on later health, 5 U.S partner institutions have been identified as partners of approximately 30 European institutions. Final decision on the funding of the U.S. partners is awaiting review by NIH.

ØA follow-up study to a prior clinical study entitled Hperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO), which included a number of European sites, has been submitted. The goal is to access the effect of the range of maternal glucose during pregnancy on maternal glucose tolerance and childhood adiposity (all levels below the diagnostic level for overt diabetes).

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Future activities 2011-2012

Workshop in collaboration with European Association of Study on Obesity, The Obesity Society (North America), Commission Dir E and F Objective : to establish a roadmap for obesity research (under discussion)