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The "Grand Jet d'Or" de Genève Awarded to a Project on PFAS Emissions

2024.05.28

2mins | News

On May 27th, the AXA Research Fund, AXA Health and the Geneva Health Forum awarded the "Grand Jet d'Or de Genève" to the research team from Exposure Sciences, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne for their project on the emerging threat of PFAS emissions, which present significant health risks.

In March 2024, the AXA Research Fund joined forces with the Geneva Health Forum to introduce the Grand Jet d’Or de Genève Award: Health & medical solutions to address the adverse effects of pollution on humans, endorsed with a 50.000 € prize.

The topic of this years's award is: “Health and Medical Solutions to Address the Adverse Effects of Pollution on Humans.”

Its objective is to support a team engaged in researching or implementing research-based projects with a focus on health treatment, measurements, use of data, and community involvement in addressing pollution-related health issues. The proposed projects must demonstrate their potential to change health practices and improve health outcomes in relation to pollution of air, water and soil, including but not limited to PFAS.

After a rigorous selection process guided by the Scientific and Programme Committees, we are delighted to announce that on Monday, May 27, the "Grand Jet d’Or" (endowed with a €50,000 prize) was awarded by Nils Reich, CEO of AXA Health, to the following research team:

Exposure Sciences, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne.

The Swiss-based team was recognized for their groundbreaking work on "Assessing the Emerging Risk of PFAS Exposure from Waste Management.” Their research directly addresses the challenge of developing health and medical solutions to combat the adverse effects of pollution on human health, with a special focus on protecting the general population from the emerging threat of PFAS emissions, which present significant health risks. Additionally, their study investigates the dysbiosis induced by PFAS and other chemicals in the nasal and skin microbiomes. By understanding these mechanisms, the research team aims to develop targeted interventions to mitigate the health impacts of pollution exposure and enhance public health outcomes.

May 28th, 2024

Photo Credits: Unsplash, 2024