On April 10, 2026, from 12:00 to 13:30, the online webinar “Precision Health nei primi 1.000 giorni di vita: risultati e prospettive future delle coorti di nascita coinvolte nel progetto HEAL Italia” will take place. The event will present the scientific results achieved within Spoke 7 of the PNRR HEAL ITALIA project. The webinar is organized by Prof. Antonella Agodi (University of Catania), who leads the activities of Spoke 7 – Work Package 4, Task 4.2.
The webinar will provide an opportunity to discuss recent research progress in the field of precision public health, an innovative approach that integrates phenotypic, genotypic, and exposomic information to develop more effective strategies for disease prevention and health promotion. The event will focus in particular on the first 1,000 days of life, a critical window for human development and long-term health outcomes.
During the webinar, the activities carried out within Work Package 4 – Task 4.2, jointly conducted by the University of Catania and the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità), will be presented. The research is based on data from two important Italian birth cohorts, MAMI-MED and PiccoliPiù, which allow researchers to investigate the role of maternal exposures in shaping health outcomes during pregnancy and in the neonatal period.
In particular, the speakers will present scientific evidence on the role of genetic variants as effect modifiers in the relationship between maternal exposures and pregnancy and/or neonatal health outcomes, with a specific focus on the contribution of maternal diet. These findings open new perspectives for the development of personalized prevention strategies, integrating genetic, environmental, and lifestyle information.
The webinar program includes: an introduction to the objectives of the HEAL ITALIA project and the results from the MAMI-MED cohort, presented by Prof. Antonella Agodi; a presentation of the results from the PiccoliPiù cohort by Dr. Sonia Brescianini (Italian National Institute of Health); a talk by Dr. Giuliana Favara (University of Catania) on precision medicine and the prevention of hereditary cancers within the IGEA project; and finally a presentation on the future perspectives of the HEAL ITALIA project, focusing on the role of maternal diet and biomarkers within a precision public health framework, delivered by Dr. Letizia Leccese (Italian National Institute of Health).
The webinar will conclude with a final discussion among speakers and participants, aimed at sharing results, discussing future research perspectives, and exploring potential applications in prevention policies and public health promotion.
For more information, please contact: healitaliaprimimillegiorni@gmail.com