GoKawiilExposome researchers push to map environmental exposures for personalized medicine
Scientists studying the 'exposome'—the sum of environmental and lifestyle exposures a person accumulates—are developing tools to measure chemical, pollutant, dietary and infectious exposures alongside genetic data. The concept, coined by epidemiologist Christopher Wild in 2005, aims to quantify environmental risk factors with the same precision now possible for genomics. Researchers note that environmental exposures account for an estimated 70-90% of chronic disease risk.
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If exposome data can be reliably measured and combined with genetic profiles, it could let clinicians assess individualized disease risk and tailor prevention or treatment, according to researchers in the field. This suggests a future direction for precision medicine that moves beyond genetics alone to include lifestyle and environment. However, the vision described—like routine exposome testing by 2050—remains aspirational rather than a current clinical practice.
- The 'exposome' concept, coined in 2005, refers to cumulative environmental and lifestyle exposures affecting disease risk.
- Researchers estimate environmental factors drive 70-90% of chronic disease risk, complementing genetic risk.
- Scientists are working toward combining exposome and genomic data to enable more personalized disease risk assessment and treatment.
Source: nature.com — Gewin, 2026-09-30
Published there as: “Is exposomics the key to making personalized medicine a reality?”
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