Masarykova Univerzita (MU)

MU is the second largest university in the Czech Republic. The Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX) is the largest department at the Faculty of Science of MU recognised internationally for their research on chemical exposures and their impact on ecosystems and human health. RECETOX has an expertise in the assessment of sources of legacy and emerging pollutants, their environmental fate, levels and impacts, human exposure pathways, tissue levels, toxicological effects and associated risks. It is a leading institution in endocrine disruption related research in the Czech Republic. RECETOX research infrastructure consists of environmental monitoring networks, human cohorts, accredited trace analytical laboratories and environmental databases and information systems. The experts from Division of Environmental Chemistry and Modelling, Division of Ecotoxicology and RECETOX research infrastructure focused on human cohorts will collaborate within ERGO. The former one offers advanced instrumentation to study the environmental fate of chemicals and exposure patterns in various environmental media as well as in human samples. The Division of Ecotoxicology covers research in the field of toxicity and ecotoxicity assessment of environmental pollutants and complex matrices, including development of advanced biodetection systems for practical use such as in evaluation of endocrine disruptive potency of compounds and their mixtures. The birth cohort CELSPAC, initiated as a collaborative project of Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno, Czech Republic, aims to assess multiple factors potentially affecting children´s health. In the last decade, MU-RECETOX scientists coordinated two FP5 projects and participated in three FP6 projects. They have been participating in eight FP7 projects (isoSoil, ArcRisk, AquaRehab, EuroEcotox, TaToo, REFORM, SOLUTIONs and DENAMIC).

Klára is a senior researcher in the Ecotoxicology research program at MU-RECETOX and associate professor at MU. She has broad experience in the fields of ecotoxicology of pollutants and their complex mixtures, specific mechanisms of toxicity, environmental endocrine disruptors, human and ecological hazard and risk assessment. Her research in recent years focused namely on ecotoxicology and the in vitro biodetection tools for the assessment of the endocrine disruptive potencies of pollutants and their mixtures and the presence of bioactive compounds in the environment. She has been among other expertise involved in the development of the in vitro methodology for the assessment of effects on steroidogenesis in H95R cell line that has been turned into OECD TG 456. Next to her involvement in several EU projects, she has been working on a number of national projects as well as on projects in collaboration with US partners. Klára will coordinate the MU team for ERGO and contribute namely to WP3, on AOP development, WP5 and WP7 on in vitro tools, and biomarkers and AOP network implementation in the epidemiological study in WP6.

Jana is a director of the RECETOX Centre and professor of environmental chemistry with expertise in exposure assessment, human exposure pathways, indoor and outdoor monitoring, development of sampling and analytical methods, fate, transport and transformation of chemicals in the environment, and environmental determinants of health. She has been a leader of multiple projects from the European Structural and Investment Funds and national grant agencies and PI for MU of the EU framework projects (two FP5, one FP6, three FP7 and six H2020). She has been actively working at the science-policy interface as a UNEP and WHO expert (Expert Panel for implementation of the Global Monitoring Plan under the Stockholm Convention), and Lead partner of the GEO Initiative GOS4POPs (Global Observation System for POPs). Jana will contribute to the epidemiological study in WP6 and to the comprehensive exposure assessment and research on its potential role in adverse effects related to thyroid disruption.

Martin is medical epidemiologist and professor of epidemiology. His research focuses on understanding the determinants of health in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, with a broad interest in the effects on health of societal, socioeconomic, psychosocial, behavioural and environmental factors. His earlier work on the relationship between outdoor air pollution and birth outcomes opened a new line of environmental health research. At present, Martin conducts, with colleagues in Russia, Poland, Czech Republic and Lithuania, a large multi-centre longitudinal study (the HAPIEE project, over 36,000 participants) on the influences of social, economic, environmental, psychosocial factors, dietary and life style factors on cardiovascular disease, other chronic conditions and age-related outcomes during societal transition. He has led teams and WPs in several FP7, and Horizon 2020 projects and he leads UCL participation in an ERC funded project. Martin will provide his expertise in the epidemiological study in WP6 related to the organisation of this study, collection of information through questionnaires, analysis and interpretation of the data.

Jiří has broad experience in the fields of ecotoxicology of pollutants and their complex mixtures, specific mechanisms of toxicity, in vitro testing and environmental endocrine disruptors. His research focuses on the development and application of tools for the assessment of endocrine disrupting properties of environmental pollutants and complex mixtures associated with various environmental matrices such as ambient and indoor air, dust, water and sediment. Jiří is a junior researcher in the Ecotoxicology research program at the Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX). Within ERGO, Jiří contributes to WP4, he is responsible for the establishment and optimisation of in vitro bioassay set at RECETOX within WP5 and their validation in WP7 as well as performing bioanalysis of model compounds using this set.