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The EndoCompass Project

Research Roadmap for Better Hormone Health

The Goal

The goal of the EndoCompass project is to create opportunities for the pioneers of endocrine science — because their success means better endocrine health for all.

The EndoCompass Roadmap is set to outline the specific research needs and opportunities in areas of endocrine health and disease that, when addressed in future research calls and funding programs, will contribute to better health in Europe. The first audience are going to be European and national research and health policymakers and funding bodies, the leading sources of research funding in Europe.

We also anticipate additional benefits from this project:

- Articulating the research priorities in service of other funding mechanisms

- Demonstrating the attractiveness of research in endocrinology to young researchers

- Aligning the endocrine community around a common vision of research priorities

- Identifying clinical priorities

- Crafting a clear vision for other stakeholders around areas of high medical need and development opportunities

The Community

From the start, EndoCompass was envisioned as a collaborative effort, and the project structure reflects that. EndoCompass is jointly led by the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) and the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE), extending the perspective of endocrinology across the lifetime.

We have also partnered up with specialist organisations sharing the same goal of excellence in endocrine science, with the aim to cover as much of the full scope of endocrinology as possible.

The development and writing of the research roadmap will rely on a wide inclusion of clinical, translational and basic science experts engaged with the participating societies. The unprecedented scope, the whole of endocrinology, requires a wide range of expertise throughout the research pipeline, from biochemists and molecular biologists, to clinician researchers and epidemiologists.

However, even this may prove insufficient to cover areas like endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and artificial intelligence (AI). To cover these transversal areas, we are reaching out to external researchers pushing the envelope in these topics, who will work on the roadmap for these areas, as well as provide insight to other experts around interplay of transversal areas and endocrinology.

The Patient Voice

In the end, the success of EndoCompass hinges on the inclusion of those most directly affected — the patients. We recognise the vital role that patients' voice plays in understanding the real-world effects of endocrine disorders. That's why we have engaged a number of Patient Advocacy Groups and individuals, who will be working closely with researchers and clinical experts on deciding the research priorities that address their lived experiences.

The Output

The final deliverables of the project will be:

1. Detailed research roadmaps for different areas of endocrine science, ultimately released as one or several scientific publications - the main publication will be open access, published in the European Journal of Endocrinology (EJE)
2. A research and health policy-oriented summary that outlines to policy and funding stakeholders how investment in research in endocrinology can provide high societal returns
3. A communication and outreach platform for respective target audiences

This page will be continually updated with new information about the project, following along with its development in real time.

The research project is being developed under the supervision of the EndoCompass Steering Group, consisting of the presidents and representatives of ESE and ESPE. EASO and endo-ERN as General Partners are represented as well. Day-to-day management of the project is under the joint responsibility of the ESE and ESPE Clinical and Science Committees, and project management resources are provided by the ESE Office.

If you want to get involved in crafting the vision for the future of endocrine research, you can contact the Roadmap project manager, Srđan Pandurević.

Martin Fassnacht, ESE co-lead

Eleanor Davies, ESE co-lead

Martine Cools, ESPE co-lead

Evelien Gevers ESPE co-lead

Anita Hokken

Jérôme Bertherat

Martin Reincke

Robin Peeters

Simona Glasberg

Felix Beuschlein

Cynthia Andoniadou

Anton Luger

Alberto Pereira

Volkan Yumuk

Jonathan Mertens

Adrenal and Cardiovascular Endocrinology

leaders: Guillaume Assie, Eystein Husebye, Nils Krone, and Maria-Cristina Zennaro 

Bone and Calcium Endocrinology

leaders: Wolfgang Högler, Katharina Jähn-Rickert, and Peter Kamenicky

Cancer and Endocrinology

leaders: Jason Carroll, Cecilia Follin, Raul Luque, Hanneke van Santen, and Annemarie Verrijn Stuart

Diabetes and Obesity

leaders: Chantal Mathieu, Uberto Pagotto, Liesbeth van Rossum, and Martin Wabitsch

Hyperinsulinism topic leader: Indi Banerjee

Growth

leaders: Anita Hokken-Koelega, Maité Tauber

Pituitary Endocrinology and Neuroendocrine Tumors

leaders: Justo Castano, Mehul Dattani, Simona Glasberg, Niki Karavitaki, and Marianne Pavel

Reproductive and Developmental Endocrinology

leaders: Martine Cools, Anders Juul, Csilla Krausz, and Đuro Macut

Thyroid Endocrinology

leaders: Rosella Elisei, Juliane Leger, Agnieszka Piekiełko-Witkowska

Transversal: Environmental Endocrinology

leaders: Anna Maria Andersson, Stefano Cianfarani, and Josef Köhrle

Transversal: Rare Diseases

leaders: Olaf Hiort and Alberto Pereira 

Transversal: Endocrinology through Lifetime

leaders: Martine Cools, AJ van der Lelij

Transversal: Artificial Intelligence

leaders: Guillaume Assie, Gustavo Carneiro

Project jointly led by:

European Society of Endocrinology

European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology

Project Partners:

European Association for the Study of Obesity

Endo-ERN

European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors

European Thyroid Association

European Academy of Andrology

European Association for the Study of Diabetes

European NeuroEndocrine Association

European Calcified Tissue Society

European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society

Growth Hormone Research Society