The Project “Development of Human Biomonitoring Program for Latvia” (HBM4LV) plans to create knowledge for the evidence-based establishment of the human biomonitoring (HBM) program for Latvia benefiting from international experience and adapting it to the national context. This knowledge and evidence, as well as analysis of secondary data and available laboratory capacity, will be used to create guidelines for selecting a suitable cohort size for the general population and to elaborate on the most appropriate and feasible sampling strategy for biological samples. The Project will also ensure sampling of the selected cohort establishing Latvian HBM biobank and allow analysis of samples for most critical chemicals and their metabolites using national and, if, necessary international laboratories. The data of the Project will provide information on the most critical sources and exposure routes for pesticides, metals and persistent organic pollutants and their concentrations in biological samples of Latvian citizens which will serve as background for further recommendations for the development and implementation of the national HBM4LV program.

The project aims to study inequalities created or facilitated by the European Green Deal (EGD) in the healthcare sector, identifying the impact of climate policy on healthcare practitioners and socially vulnerable groups, as well as proposing recommendations for governance solutions to promote a socially responsible green transition. The project will identify the perception of healthcare providers and healthcare receivers of the reforms undertaken in the health sector under the EGD, as well as their positive and negative experiences with solutions introduced or implemented in the healthcare sector to ensure that the objectives of the EGD are met. Through a co-creation design, recommendations to policy makers for ensuring a socially responsible green transition in the healthcare sector will be elaborated, and a road-map for a pilot project for further implementation will be provided. The project is based on a mixed research design. By analysis of scientific literature and documents, and conducting a public opinion survey, semi-structured interviews and focus groups, the research team will identify key inequalities created or facilitated by green transition in the health care, and investigate perceptions and experiences with reforms with primary focus on hospitals. For that, case studies in four hospitals will be carried out. Recommendations for the socially responsible green transition in the healthcare will be developed, involving all stakeholders in the co-creation process.

To create new knowledge and solutions for improving the quality and accessibility of disease prevention and health care and strengthening the efficiency and sustainability of the health care system in Latvia we’ll carry out epidemiological, public health, cost effectiveness and clinical studies in the fields of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, antimicrobial resistance and vaccination coverage. Scientific results of this project will contribute to the development of a sustainable approaches for the delivery of essential health care and public health services in the country by supporting the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders with evidence-based recommendations. The project will be implemented through 3 synergic and complementary work packages (WP) and 5 tasks: WP1 – New knowledge and approaches for reduction of the burden of HIV in Latvia: Task 1.1. HIV mathematical modeling; Task 1.2. HIV treatment adherence study; Task 1.3. New solutions for the HIV / tuberculosis dual infection; WP2 – Identifying the situation and offering solutions in the field of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance in the country; Task 2.1. Antibiotic consumption and healthcare-associated infections study; Task 2.2. Novel approach using bacterial screening as a prototype for possible phage therapy; WP3 - Development and piloting of vaccine cost-effectiveness evaluation model in Latvia.

Despite advances in the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), the outcomes for many patients remain suboptimal due to tumour heterogeneity. One of the factors contributing to the heterogeneity in TNBC is hypoxia. Hypoxia-associated alterations depend on the pattern of hypoxic exposure. To achieve better outcomes, it is crucial to identify specific molecular alterations induced by various types of hypoxia. The aim of the proposed research is to identify and to verify molecular alterations and druggable targets associated with acute, cycling and chronic hypoxia in TNBC. Hypoxia-induced molecular alterations (somatic genomic alterations; mRNA, miRNA, protein expression and DNA methylation) and druggable targets (e.g., BH3 mimetics) based on mitochondrial apoptotic dependencies in TNBC will be identified by bioinformatics analysis of publicly available multi-omics data sets, using hypoxia-related mRNA signatures. Molecular alterations and druggable targets identified during this and baseline BH3 profiling analysis will be validated in TNBC reference cell lines exposed to acute hypoxia, cycling hypoxia and chronic hypoxia. The outcomes of this research will be potential tumour-hypoxia related indicators and list of potential therapeutic agents for development of personalized therapy field. In a long-term perspective, the project will contribute to improvements in the management, survival and health-related quality of life of TNBC patients.