Mission

Our mission is to unravel the molecular, physiological, and biological processes that impact health by studying the interactions between plants, animals, humans, and their shared environment. Through cross-disciplinary projects in the fields of agrobiology, terrestrial biodiversity, and biomedicine, the research conducted at the Integrative Centre for Environmental and Human Health will be fundamental in addressing cutting-edge issues within the One Health framework, while simultaneously enhancing our capacity to respond to regional challenges.

We embrace interconnectivity between agrobiology and biomedicine at the forefront of global research, while simultaneously addressing local health challenges

This mission is reflected in three fundamental areas with the following objectives:

• Soil and vegetation health: To offer a comprehensive view of environmental agrobiology, from molecular mechanisms and the interconnection of plants with their environment to the bioengineering of plant species and soils. This includes the search for physiological and ecological strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change, guarantee food security, and maintain the health of agricultural soils, including through the use of drones for precision agriculture.

• Ecosystem health: To promote the conservation of biodiversity and terrestrial ecosystem resilience through hologenomic tools that decipher the complex interactions between crop management and other human activities in communities of plants, microorganisms, and animals. This will allow these communities to function as bioindicators of health and emerging risks, thus enabling the comprehensive assessment of the state of ecosystems.

• Human health: To address health challenges through epidemiological studies, the development of preclinical models associated with pathologies, and validation in patient samples. To achieve exhaustive genetic and molecular characterization through the use of omics tools, the generation of transgenic animals and 2D/3D systems of human development and diseases that allow the identification of mechanisms associated with healthy aging and the approach to personalized medicine, including in the context of cancer.