Functional Exposomics

Our group recently proposed the concept "functional exposome" -- the totality of biologically active exposures -- to address well-known barriers in non-targeted chemical analysis. Importantly, the concept creates a molecular mapping coordinate to facilitate international collaborative projects and integrative ExE and GxE analysis (e.g., mixture and multiomics) in exposomics. We aim to develop analytical solutions capable of catalyzing a new wave of discovery.

Exposomics in Observational Data

We use existing large datasets to conduct both hypothesis-driven and data-driven studies to investigate the impacts of the exposome at multiple scales, from omics data & cohort studies, to nationwide healthcare records & global health surveys. We are particularly interested in understanding the impacts on maternal and child health, as well as aging and aging-related diseases. 

We apply machine learning techniques and the ExWAS approach to discover novel insights about mixture exposures. Additionally, using extensive and diverse datasets helps to address the reproducibility issue in scientific literature and achieve sustainability goals.

Risk Assessment and Biomonitoring

Chemicals are everywhere -- in the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the consumer products we use. Some, such as heavy metals and organic compounds, can cause harmful effects even at low doses. Monitoring their concentrations in environmental media and organisms through targeted and suspect screening approaches is necessary to formulate sound policies and assess the risks from complex exposures, which are critical components of creating a sustainable society.