World Heart Day: A healthy heart needs a healthy environment
On World Heart Day, we highlight an often overlooked factor in cardiovascular health: the environment we live in.
Air pollution, including fine and ultrafine particulate matter, and traffic noise are important environmental stressors that can affect our cardiovascular and brain health. Yet, their combined effects and the underlying biological mechanisms are not yet fully understood.
🔬This is where MARKOPOLO comes in.
The MARKOPOLO project investigates how air pollution and traffic noise affect the brain-heart axis and contribute to cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and other non-communicable diseases.
By combining experimental research, clinical and epidemiological studies, and innovative multiomics approaches, MARKOPOLO aims to:
🫀 Identify biomarkers and uncover the biological mechanisms linking environmental exposures to disease.
🌱 Improve our understanding of how air pollution and noise affect human health, particularly in vulnerable populations.
📊 Develop better tools for assessing environmental health risks and evaluating prevention strategies.
🤝 Translate scientific findings into evidence-based recommendations to support healthier environments and inform public health policies.
Because protecting heart health also means understanding and reducing the environmental risks that surround us.
