SWAN Exposome Study

The SWAN Exposome Study represnets a new direction for our ongoing SWAN Multi-Pollutant Study (SWAN-MPS), launched in 2023 with funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS; R01 ES035087). This project aims to conduct exposome- and metabolome-wide association analyses of incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. By applying untargeted, high-resolution mass spectrometry to comprehensively characterize the human blood exposome, we seek to establish a new paradigm for environmental health research on metabolic disease risk.

Leveraging SWAN's rich longitudinal data and biospecimen resources, we aim to (1) conduct an integrated exposome- and metabolome-wide association study of incident T2D and MetS using pre-diagnosis blood samples collected at baseline to characterize known and novel environmental exposures detected using untargeted high-resolution mass spectrometry linked to future T2D and MetS risk and identify endogenous metabolite and disease-associated alterations underlying T2D and MetS; 2) evaluate temporal evolution of exposomic and metabolomic profiles in T2D and MetS cases and metabolically healthy controls; 3) identify prediagnostic metabolomic signatures that link targeted exposures of metabolism disrupting chemicals and novel exposome biomarkers to incident T2D and MetS; and 4) develop and validate exposome-based risk prediction models for T2D and MetS.