HERCULES: Exposome Research Center

HERCULES: INTEGRATED HEALTH SCIENCES FACILITY CORE – SUMMARY
Partnering with HERCULES Cores that define and apply (Community Engagement Core, CEC), enable and
interpret (Environmental Health Data Sciences Core, EHDSC), innovate (Pilot Project Program, PPP), and
coordinate and evaluate (Administrative Core), the Integrated Health Sciences Facility Core (IHSFC) will
operationalize translational research on the exposome. Specifically, the IHSFC will: deliver targeted analytical
support to quantify exposures to known hazardous environmental agents, environmentally-important clinical
biomarkers, and suspect chemicals (Aim 1); provide untargeted analytical support for global study of known
and unidentified endogenous and exogenous chemicals associated with environmental exposures or adverse
health outcomes (Aim 2); offer comprehensive clinical and population research services to Center-based
scientists (Aim 3); and catalyze applied translational research on the exposome in humans and in communities
of interest (Aim 4). Drawing on the strong foundation developed during the first two rounds of Center funding,
the IHSFC will expand in several key areas: 1) with the very successful programs in targeted and untargeted
analytical support, we will focus in Aims 1 and 2 on new innovations within our laboratory and analytical
methods; 2) with research support structure that bridges clinical and population-based research in Aim 3, we
will emphasize outreach and broad utilization of the IHSFC; and 3) building on tested exposomics tools and
technology, we will emphasize and prioritize a broader vision of translational research on the exposome in Aim
4. In doing so, the IHSFC will promote discovery in established and emerging environmental health concerns
and will foster development, implementation, and assessment of interventions to address these concerns.
IHSFC activities will be driven by the HERCULES exposome and translational research frameworks that
incorporate community knowledge and concerns. The IHSFC team has established national and international
research leadership in exposure science, chemistry, quantitative biology, metabolomics, and clinical and
population studies in broad environmental health areas. Within the Center, the IHFSC will work closely with the
CEC to enhance bidirectional understanding of exposome-related concepts, research, and their importance in
human health among HERCULES Member and community partners. The IHSFC will continue its key role as a
driver of the EHDSC, specifically to deliver data, enhance EHDSC utilization, and facilitate development of
exposome-related tools. The IHSFC will support investigators seeking to submit proposals to the PPP and will
support PPP-funded novel research projects that facilitate translation and integration of exposome-related
research data, tools and concepts. Moreover, the IHSFC will work closely with the Administrative Core in
translational research planning, to enhance training opportunities, and to ensure that IHSFC aims are being
met and that its services are meeting the needs of Center Members, through tracking and evaluation.

Grant Number: 5P30ES019776-13
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Dana Barr