ERGO was launched in January 2019 and runs for five years, exploring how to improve current testing for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). The project aims to break down the wall between human health and environmental testing of endocrine disrupters. We use the highly conserved vertebrate thyroid system as concept for “read across” between effects of EDCs in mammals including humans and non-mammalian vertebrates like fish and amphibians.
Currently, barriers exist between research within toxicology and ecotoxicology when investigating adverse effects of EDCs in mammals and wildlife species respectively. Regulatory procedures for identification and assessment of EDCs are separated for human health and the environment. Consequently, useful data from non-mammalian vertebrate research tests have been disregarded in human health research and vice versa.
With the Ecotoxicology Group as project coordinator, ERGO brings together a strong team of multidisciplinary experts and researchers from industry, regulatory bodies and research institutions involving 15 partners from all over Europe as well as from Japan and the United States. ERGO is expected to have far-reaching impacts, not only contributing to improved testing, but also to better regulation of EDCs, protecting human and environmental health.
In ERGO, we are proud to be part of EURION, a cluster of eight research projects from the call “New Testing and Screening Methods to Identify Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals” funded by the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program. Each project is concentrating on a different aspect of new testing and screening methods identifying EDCs. The cluster creates synergy by supporting collaborations between projects in a number of working groups. Have a look at the EURION website and sign up for the EURION newsletter: EURION-cluster.eu.
You can read more on ERGO's homepage here, and Cordis here.