The MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre (ERC) was established in 2003, under the direction of Professor Cyrus Cooper, following a reconfiguration of the forerunning Environmental Epidemiology Unit (EEU). That Unit had been set up in 1979 under the directorship of Professor Sir Donald Acheson (1979-1984), with a remit to investigate occupational and environmental causes of disease within the UK. The second director, Professor David Barker (1984-2003), focused increasingly on research into the developmental origins of adult disease, while continuing the work on occupational and environmental hazards. At the MRC Council meeting in March 2003, a decision was made to reorganise direct support for epidemiological research at the University of Southampton (UoS) through an MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre (ERC) with linked programmes of research in bone and joint disease; cardiovascular disease/metabolic syndrome in South Asian populations; and occupational and environmental medicine.

The initial aim of the ERC was to provide an international centre of excellence in epidemiological research which: (i) maintained and developed the long-term cohort studies assembled in Southampton as national resources to explore the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD); (ii) supported directly funded MRC research programmes into the epidemiology of bone and joint disease and occupational health; and (iii) permitted flexible research support for MRC epidemiological resources and facilities, as needs and opportunities emerged. In the time since its formation, the ERC has expanded and evolved in response to (a) the research priorities of key national and international stakeholders, (b) advances in our understanding of the lifecourse determinants of chronic disease, and (c) MRC strategy (the MRC Strategic Plan 2009-2014, the MRC Strategic Review of Nutrition; initiatives in Lifelong Health and Wellbeing; Population Sciences; and Musculoskeletal Disease). We now function as a closely integrated team with a single over-arching research theme, addressing the environmental determinants of musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and metabolic disease throughout the lifecourse.

To provide a centre of excellence which uses epidemiological methods to promote human health by:

1. Delineating the environmental and occupational causes throughout the lifecourse of (1) chronic musculoskeletal disorders, (2) diabetes mellitus and the metabolic syndrome, and (3) cardiovascular disease; and developing population-based and high-risk preventive strategies against these disorders
2. Maintaining and developing the long-term cohort studies assembled in Southampton as national and international resources to explore the developmental origins of health and disease
3. Informing health policy and practice through the provision of authoritative evidence and knowledge synthesis
4. Promoting training, research capacity development, knowledge transfer and public engagement in the lifecourse epidemiology of chronic disease

The purpose of our research is to elucidate important, preventable causes of common chronic disorders and their complications. In particular, we are interested in the interplay of causes acting at different stages of the lifecourse from before conception through to old age, and the ways in which environmental influences modulate gene expression to produce disease. Through an understanding of the causes of these disorders, and evaluation of interventions at appropriate stages in the lifecourse, we aim to provide robust and timely evidence which informs policies to improve population and individual health.
Our reseach comprises 5 programmes grouped within 3 themes:

We are co-located at the University of Southampton with two major investments (the Institute of Developmental Sciences and the NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Nutrition), that together constitute an internationally competitive Centre for Development and Health. This integrated multidisciplinary grouping of clinical epidemiologists, biostatisticians, physiologists, developmental biologists, nutritionists and cell/molecular scientists, has the potential to realise the translational benefits to human health of the ‘developmental origins’ hypothesis that was originated in the MRC EEU.

The Resource Centre will continue to provide a major focus for clinical research and for training in clinical epidemiology. It contributes significantly to the public understanding of science and to the use of science in Government policy. It also constitutes an important component of Council's contribution to national health policy by focusing epidemiological research on the implementation of cost-effective approaches to improving population health; to reducing health inequalities in common chronic disorders (Health Inequalities: House of Commons Health Committee, 2009); and to translational public health research emphasising key MRC research priorities including ageing and lifelong health, musculoskeletal disease, and obesity.

Lifecourse Determinants of Bone and Joint Disease

1. Demonstration that growth in utero and during infancy predict adult bone mass, strength and fracture risk
2. Confirmation in two mother-offspring cohort studies that maternal vitamin D insufficiency impairs childhood bone mineral accrual

Sarcopenia, Frailty and Clinical Practice in Older People

1. Establishment of the developmental origins of sarcopenia, physical frailty and cognitive function
2. Demonstration of the link between muscle strength and key health outcomes among elderly men and women (Health-related Quality of Life [HqoL], disability and mortality)

Nutrition, Development and Lifelong Health (Developing and Transitioning Populations)

1. Demonstration that newborn size and postnatal weight gain predict the risk of later metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in South Asian populations
2. Establishment of the links between maternal glucose tolerance and micronutrient status during pregnancy and childhood insulin resistance and obesity

Nutrition, Development and Lifelong Health (European populations)

1. Demonstration that educational attainment is a powerful determinant of dietary patterns in young women, which in turn are associated with the quality of feeding and the health of their offspring
2. Demonstration that self-esteem and control strongly influence food choice among women of child-bearing age

Work and Health

1. Demonstration of large differences in the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and disability in workers doing similar jobs but in different cultural settings
2. Demonstration that across many settings, tendency to somatise is a more important risk factor for disability and health care demand than physical exposures in the workplace

In addition to core funding from the Medical Research Council, the work described on this website is or has been supported by grants from the following organisations:

1. Arthritis Research Campaign
2. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
3. British Heart Foundation
4. British Lung Foundation
5. BUPA Foundation
6. Cancer Research UK
7. Cohen Trust
8. Colt Foundation
9. Department for International Development
10. Department of Health
11. Dunhill Medical Trust
12. European Union
13. Food Standards Agency
14. Hope
15. ICICI Bank Ltd. Social Initiatives Group
16. Industrial Injuries Advisory Council
17. International Osteoporosis Foundation
18. NHS R&D
19. National Institutes of Health
20. National Osteoporosis Society
21. Parthenon Trust
22. Scottish Office
23. Sport Aiding Medical Research for Kids (SPARKS)
24. University of Southampton
25. USAID/ILSI
26. Wellcome Trust