Authors: Gary Miller, Sarah De Saeger, Adrian Covaci
At the beginning of July, Dr. Gary Miller concluded his lecture series throughout Belgium as the 2026 International Collen-Francqui Chair. The closing symposium “Exposomics and Human Health: A Vision for the Future” was held at the Wintercircus in Ghent, Belgium, and brought together leading international and Belgian experts in the Exposome to reflect on the progress, challenges, and future directions of the field and its role in human health.
The program opened with introductory remarks from Dr. Sarah De Saeger, who was one of Dr. Miller’s hosts at Ghent University. Dr. Miller followed with a keynote lecture discussing how the Exposome has evolved from a once-aspirational concept into a field driving tangible scientific action.
The session that followed featured a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Adrian Covaci, University of Antwerp, which discussed “Building the foundation for Exposomics in Europe and Beyond.” This discussion featured a diverse set of perspectives; Dr. Jeroen Raes, KU Leuven, highlighted the role of the human microbiome in health and disease; Dr. Jana Klánová, Masaryk University, discussed the ongoing efforts of EIRENE which is a global effort to build infrastructural capacities and services for exposomics; Dr. Robert Barouki, INSERM, shared what the field of toxicology has learned from the Exposome; Dr. Jonathan Martin, Stockholm University, reflected on how best to meet the challenges of the chemical Exposome through advances in sampling, sample preparation and Mass Spectrometry.
The theme of session three was “Exposomics: The Best of Belgian Science” and was moderated by Dr. Miller. This panel featured eight influential scientists representing various Belgian institutions, creating a greater conversation. Dr. De Saeger, Ghent University, discussed measuring mycotoxins; Dr. Covaci, University of Antwerp, shared how the study of the Chemical Exposome is advancing in Flanders; Dr. Gauthier Eppe, University of Liège, highlighted the analysis of emerging organic contaminants in the chemical Exposome by Ion Mobility- Mass Spectrometry; Dr. Tim Nawrot, University of Hasselt, commented on the lifecourse impact of air pollution and how early life exposures drive telomere attrition; Dr. Jos Bessems, VITO, reflected on the human biomonitoring collaboration in Flanders to the Belgian EIRENE Node for exposomics infrastructure; Dr. Lynn Vanhaecke, Ghent University, discussed how metabolomics is the molecular mirror of the Exposome; Dr. Maarten Dhaenes, Ghent University, highlighted how deep molecular phenotyping workflow can measure metabolome, proteome, and histone epigenetics; Dr. Marthe De Boevre, Ghent University, shared how the Ghent Health Monitor is advancing genome/Exposome research through population monitoring.
The symposium concluded with a friendly debate about science policy with Dr. Karen Van Campenhout (Flemish Ministry of Environment), Dr. Kathleen D’Hondt (Flemish Ministry of Work, Science and Innovation), Dr. Miller, and Dr. Klánová, and was moderated by Aidan Gilligan, SciCom, the debate highlighting both the opportunities and responsibilities ahead as we continue to advance Exposome research.
At the conclusion of the event, Dr. De Saeger commented on LinkedIn, “We were treated to an exceptional line-up of speakers, bringing together some of the very best European and Belgian scientists in the field of exposomics. The presentations showcased the strength of our research community and reinforced Belgium’s position as a key player on the global Exposome landscape.” Dr. De Saeger further mentioned that “… this event was not an ending. It was the beginning of something bigger. The connections forged, ideas exchanged, and collaborations initiated will continue to strengthen and expand the Belgian Exposome network in the years to come.”
This event concludes Dr. Miller’s visiting professorship as the International Collen-Francqui Chair in Belgium, which was hosted by Ghent University along with four other Belgian partner universities: University of Antwerp, KU Leuven, University of Hasselt, and the University of Liège. In this role, Dr. Miller taught seven “Classes of Excellence” and two workshops, which covered various facets of the Exposome and developed research collaborations with Belgian scientists. Overall, these symposia aimed to examine key developments in exposomics, with sessions focused on topics such as using exposomics to study a range of diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. Other lectures focused on technological developments in the field, the feasibility of large biobank-scale studies, and commercialization opportunities.
Recordings of Dr. Miller’s lectures and further information on each session can be found here: https://www.ugent.be/fw/nl/faculteit/international-collen-francqui
Dr. Miller’s reflections from his time as International Collen-Francqui Chair can be found here: https://youtu.be/YH59oDQxBgI