Collaborations & Ecosystem
The scientific network that shapes our research questions
The research we conduct at LETE does not emerge in isolation.
The complexity of the exposome, epigenetic mechanisms and biological resilience requires a broad, dynamic, and interdisciplinary network of expertise.
For this reason, we work within a collaborative ecosystem that brings together clinical sciences, molecular biology, epidemiology, statistics, bioinformatics, technology, and environmental research.
Our collaborations go far beyond co-authorship: they are long-standing partnerships built on shared project design, common infrastructures, and translational applications.
1. Clinical Collaborations
From hospital practice to biological trajectories
We work closely with clinical units that address the daily challenges of public health and personalized medicine.
Together, we investigate how an individual’s biological state — shaped by the exposome and the epigenome — influences diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic pathways.
Main partners:
- Ospedale Luigi Sacco — Occupational Medicine, Pulmonology
- Clinica Mangiagalli — Pregnancy, Menopause, Endocrine Gynecology
- Policlinico Hospital — Oncology, Public Health
- National collaborations in oncology (PhActHealth) and sports medicine (HEBE)
- International collaborations in oncology (Leuven)
Shared areas:
Ageing, inflammation, cancer, preoperative resilience, cardio-metabolic risk, maternal–infant health.
2. Environmental & Urban Health Collaborations
From city sensors to exposome mapping
We study the environment using tools ranging from proximity sensors to advanced remote sensing techniques and spatially integrated models.
Main partners:
- Municipality of Legnano (MAMELI Living Lab)
- University of Insubria — Air pollution & sensor networks
- University of Bari — Urban forestry & environmental planning
- Engineering and urban geography groups (POLIMI)
Shared areas:
Air quality, urban environment, green exposure, livability, LiDAR, GIS, urban exposome.
3. Methodological Collaborations
Biostatistics, interpretable AI and multi-omic modelling
Our projects integrate epidemiological design, advanced statistics, sustainable machine learning and multi-level analyses of biological data.
Main partners:
- KU Leuven — Statistical genomics & cancer dormancy
- Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) — Repetitive element methylation
- University of Parma — Cellular models and translational cardiology
Shared areas:
Causal inference, non-linear models, exposome-wide association, multi-omic networks, explainable AI, biological ageing algorithms.
4. Collaborations on Extracellular Vesicles & Molecular Signalling
From microRNA to systemic information flows
We collaborate with teams specialized in EV biology and epigenetic intercellular communication — a core area of our research.
Main partners:
- UNIMI — EVs & ageing groups
- Clinical collaborations on maternal–fetal, oncologic and inflammatory EVs
5. Third Mission & Community Engagement
Transferring knowledge, co-producing well-being
We collaborate with local institutions, schools, associations and community groups to support:
- scientific outreach on environment and health
- awareness on positive lifestyle behaviours
- INES initiatives on well-being, perception and resilience
- urban policies oriented toward public health
6. Our Way of Collaborating
Multidisciplinary, open, interpretative, translational
All collaborations at LETE share four core principles:
- Genuine interdisciplinarity, not just formal
- Methodological rigour, from data collection to causal modelling
- A culture of reproducibility and interpretable data
- A translational vocation, from molecular mechanisms to community impact
Collaborating, for us, means building — together — a new way of reading the relationship between environment, biology and health.