From environmental and health risks to personalised prevention and therapy
Our living environment and exposure to harmful substances have a direct impact on our health. For companies, it is becoming increasingly important to detect environmental and health risks at an early stage and mitigate them. VITO combines advanced measurements and analyses, smart measurement and testing technologies, health data and trustworthy AI to make risks visible and develop solutions for early detection, personalised prevention and therapy.
Data and technology for your health challenges
How can you gain insight into the health effects of your product, process or environment? How can you measure and assess exposure to relevant substances? And how can you use data and technology to identify health challenges early and take preventive action?
VITO helps you turn these challenges into concrete solutions. We monitor air quality and use advanced measurements and analyses to identify harmful substances in air, water and soil. Through human biomonitoring, we analyse blood and other biological samples to gain insight into exposure to substances and biological health indicators. Using advanced in vitro inhalation tests, we assess the safety and efficacy of airborne substances and products for the human airways.
Data and digital technology also play an important role. We develop solutions to connect health data securely and ethically, and use trustworthy AI and data-driven models to detect risks earlier and optimise health and healthcare processes.
From measurement and analysis to testing and validation, we work with you to develop solutions for your product, process or application. This gives you better insight into potential health effects and enables you to take targeted measures to optimise them.
Our expertise for your health challenges
From assessing exposure and health effects to monitoring air quality and securely connecting health data: discover how VITO uses data, analyses and technology to map and health effects and improve health outcomes.
- Gaining insight into exposure to substances and biological health indicators
- Identifying biomarkers for early detection
- Developing new technologies and testing methods for personalised prevention and therapy
How can you detect health risks earlier and develop new preventive solutions?
Through human biomonitoring, we analyse blood and other biological samples to gain insight into exposure to substances and biological health indicators. We also identify biomarkers that can help detect health conditions at an early stage and develop new testing methods.
This helps companies better understand health risks and develop new technologies for early detection and personalised prevention.
- Assessing the safety and efficacy of airborne substances and products
- Tailored integrated testing strategies combining physicochemical analyses, in vitro human airway cell models and in silico predictive models
- Developing and applying human-relevant testing methods for respiratory exposure and health impact
Want to know what impact a pharmaceutical product, chemical or consumer product could have on the human airways?
VITO has an advanced testing platform that allows us to expose human airway cells in vitro to airborne substances. Combined with physicochemical analyses and computational models, we offer tailored testing set-ups to simulate realistic exposure conditions and investigate potential effects on the airways.
In this way, we support companies in assessing the safety and efficacy of substances and products, in line with the current regulatory shift from traditional animal testing towards human-relevant testing methods (New Approach Methodologies, NAMs).
- Measuring and modelling air pollution
- Mapping air quality in detail
- Measuring emissions, testing air purification technologies and investigating virus spread
Want to know how air pollution affects health, where and when exposure is highest or how you can assess and improve air quality?
VITO combines measurements, models and data analysis to map outdoor air quality at street level. We also analyse exposure patterns to gain better insight into where and when health risks may arise.
In our specialised test chamber, we measure the substances emitted by products and materials into indoor air under controlled conditions. We also test air purification technologies and investigate the spread of viruses.
In this way, we help companies take targeted measures to reduce health risks.
- Securely connecting health data from different sources
- Sharing and using data securely and responsibly
- Developing products and services based on relevant health data
Want to use health data securely and responsibly to develop new products or services?
VITO develops digital solutions that enable health data from different sources to be securely connected, shared and used. Through We Are, we create a secure environment where people remain in control of their data and decide which data they share and for what purpose.
In this way, we help companies use relevant health data responsibly and better tailor products and services to people’s needs.
- Detecting harmful substances in air, water, soil, materials and products
- Identifying known, unknown and unexpected substances using Non-Targeted Analysis
- Assessing exposure and health risks at an early stage
Want to know which harmful substances are present in your product, process or environment and what health risks are associated with them?
Using advanced analytical techniques, we detect and identify harmful substances in air, water and soil. With Non-Targeted Analysis (NTA), we can also analyse the chemical composition of materials and products and detect unknown or unexpected substances.
In this way, we help companies assess health risks at an early stage and take targeted measures.
Can’t find your challenge here? Discuss it with our experts.
Success stories
Discover how VITO works with companies and partners to develop concrete solutions to health challenges: from investigating health effects and harmful substances to using health data responsibly and developing new solutions for prevention and early detection.
NAVETTA: insight into the impact of airborne substances on the human airways
VITO co-developed the NAVETTA exposure system, a device that enables controlled exposure of in vitro lung cell models to airborne substances. NAVETTA is part of VITO’s testing platform for predicting respiratory health.
This allows us to investigate biological responses in the airways and assess the safety and efficacy of a wide range of substances and products, including inhaled pharmaceuticals, chemicals, nanoparticles and consumer products.
NAVETTA is commercially available through VITROCELL Systems.
ATMO-Street: monitoring air quality at street level
VITO’s ATMO-Street model maps air quality in detail at street level. It calculates how air pollution spreads locally and identifies where air pollution levels are highest.
These insights help better assess health risks and take targeted measures to improve air quality.
ATMO-Street is used not only in Flanders, but also in China, India and Central and Eastern Europe.
Non-Targeted Analysis: detecting unknown substances and risks at an early stage
Unexpected substances or changes in composition can lead to quality problems, safety risks or regulatory issues. With Non-Targeted Analysis (NTA), VITO helps companies detect such issues, even when it is not known in advance which substances to look for.
By identifying known and unknown substances, companies gain greater insight into their products and processes. This enables them to identify the causes of problems more quickly, detect early signs of contamination or emerging risks and make better-informed decisions.
We Are: relevant data for better products and services
We Are is a secure and user-friendly online platform that allows citizens to bring together, connect and consciously share their health data from various sources in one place. Think of information about physical activity, nutrition, health or data from apps citizens use daily. They remain in control of their data and decide who can access which data and for what purposes it may be used.
This gives companies access to relevant data shared with citizens’ explicit consent. This enables them to better tailor products and services to what people really need.
Biomarkers: detecting kidney rejection quickly and non-invasively
Together with European partners, VITO searched for biomarkers that can provide an early indication of kidney transplant rejection and can be easily measured in urine. Ten predictive proteins were identified as biomarkers for kidney rejection.
The testing method has been patented, with the aim of developing a rapid and user-friendly test that can detect kidney rejection non-invasively. This could help avoid costly and invasive tests wherever possible.
Developing these types of user-friendly tests also presents an opportunity for pharmaceutical companies.
DigiH4A: scaling up digital health solutions faster
The European DigiH4A project brings together health authorities, healthcare providers, payers, research organisations and more than 200 SMEs from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany to accelerate the adoption of digital health solutions.
The project focuses on digital solutions that support chronic care, prevention, early diagnosis and ageing populations. The aim? To reduce unnecessary hospital visits, ease the pressure on healthcare systems and improve patients’ quality of life.
Within DigiH4A, VITO investigates how digital health solutions can be scaled up sustainably from a health economics perspective.
Testing and research with specialised infrastructure
Want to know how a product, technology or substance affects air quality or human health? Or do you want to investigate performance and potential effects under controlled, realistic conditions?
At VITO, you gain access to specialised testing environments, advanced analytical methods and the expertise of our researchers. We simulate realistic conditions and carry out targeted analyses to investigate the performance and potential health effects of products, materials and substances.
This provides you with reliable insights to evaluate and further develop products and technologies and better assess potential health risks.
Indoor air quality test chamber
In our unique test chamber, we can simulate realistic indoor environments, such as a living room or office, under controlled conditions. We can precisely control parameters including air composition, temperature and humidity.
This allows us to assess the performance of air purification devices, the effectiveness of emission reduction technologies, odour reduction, emissions from materials and the spread of viruses.
In vitro testing platform for human-relevant insights into respiratory health
With VITO’s integrated platform for in vitro inhalation tests, we assess the safety and efficacy of substances and products that enter the body via the airways. We combine human airway models with various systems for controlled exposure to aerosols, particles, gases and vapours. We also accurately characterise the properties and dose of the exposure and analyse the biological response.
The platform brings together expertise in airway biology, aerosol technology, physicochemical and biological analyses, and computational models. This allows us to translate realistic exposure scenarios into human-relevant insights for inhaled medicines, chemicals, nanoparticles and consumer products.
NAVETTA, co-developed by VITO, is one of the exposure systems within this platform and enables controlled exposure of in vitro lung cell models to airborne substances.
Non-Targeted Analysis (NTA): insight into the full chemical composition of materials and products
Want to know which substances a material or product contains, even when you do not know in advance what you are looking for? With Non-Targeted Analysis (NTA), we can reveal the full chemical composition, including unknown or unexpected substances.
For example, we can identify PFAS compounds and support screening for regulatory purposes. We can also assess the safety and composition of products such as cosmetics. In production environments, NTA helps detect quality or stability issues by identifying unexpected by-products or changes in composition. In addition, NTA can be used for supply chain verification, for example by detecting variations in incoming materials.
Collaborate with VITO
Want to analyse the health risks associated with substances, products or your environment? Looking for ways to detect exposure to harmful substances at an early stage and reduce risks? Or do you want to develop a new technology, testing method or digital health solution?
Share your challenge with our experts. Together, we explore which data, analyses, technology or testing method best suits your challenge and how we can use them to better identify health risks, support prevention and develop new solutions.
