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Dr Zisis Kozlakidis, Head of Laboratory Support, Biobanking, and Services at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), presented details of the ongoing Human Exposome Assessment Platform (HEAP) and International Human Exposome Network (IHEN) projects at the inaugural Exposome Moonshot Forum, which took place on 12–15 May 2025 in Washington DC, USA. The aim of the Forum was to develop a clear and actionable plan for the comprehensive characterization and utilization of the human exposome.
More than 300 international stakeholders from 30 countries convened at the Forum, including experts in different parts of the exposome field, with a focus on collaborations and advances in future exposome research. The participants included stakeholders from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as well as national experts from Canada, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, and the United Kingdom, among others.
Former IARC Director Dr Christopher Wild opened the meeting, which was co-organized by Columbia University (New York, USA), Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, USA), and the NIH (Maryland, USA). Dr Wild is widely credited as coining the term “exposome” and creating the associated research field.
The human exposome, which encompasses the integrated compilation of all physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial influences that affect biology, requires a comprehensive characterization to translate its potential into medicine and public health practice. Achieving this ambitious goal demands an international, coordinated effort involving governments, organizations, scientists, funders, the technology sector, and the public – a “moonshot” approach. The inaugural Exposome Moonshot Forum aimed to gather these diverse stakeholders to collaboratively translate the exposome from concept to utility.
