The kick-off meeting of the European project LifeCycle, which also involves the University of Turin and NINFEA cohort, was held in Rotterdam at the beginning of April.
Main LifeCycle objective, ambitious project that brings together 250 thousand children and parents belonging to cohorts scattered mainly in Europe, is to establish a network of cohort studies of newborns, translating the results obtained from research in strategic prevention recommendations.
The general concept of "life cycle" of the project is based on the innovative research that is becoming increasingly popular internationally, focusing the attention of researchers on the role played by factors of early stress experienced by individuals, starting from the embryonic period, which will affect health throughout their lives, from birth to adulthood.
Europe has a well-established tradition in the field of prospective studies of new cohort born. These cohorts are valuable resources to identify a wide range of early stress factors that affect the individual, changes in development and health trajectories, all of which together are related to the onset and evolution of non-communicable diseases.
The Cancer Epidemiology of the University of Turin had already participated in the European CHICOS study, concluded in 2013, which has somehow paved the way for LifeCycle.
To learn more you can visit the project website at: http://lifecycle-project.eu/