Gthere effects of violence against women they are not limited to profound psychological and physical wounds, but also leave signs at the level of the genomeinfluencing the health of the victims even after decades. The ISS, the Higher Institute of Health, has reiterated it, which has started the second and new phase of the Epiwe (Epigenetics for Women) project: an ambitious multicenter study that aims to transform pain into scientific data, to provide more precise prevention and assistance tools.
Violence against women: the study on the DNA of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità
The Epiwe project starts from a significant premise: violence does not directly alter the DNA structure, but affects the way the genes “work”. It is of epigenetic variations that can increase the susceptibility to chronic diseases such as ovarian tumors, cardiovascular or autoimmune pathologies.
The Pilot Studio, published in 2023, He had already shown that this type of trauma can change the epigenetic profile of women victims of violencewith long-term effects that also occur 10-20 years later. Now, thanks to an agreement between the Ministry of Health, the National Center for the Prevention and Control of Diseases (CCM) and the ISS, The project now enters a new phase. It provides for the involvement of seven operating units, distributed over five Italian regions: Lazio, Lombardy, Campania, Puglia and Liguria.
Periodic blood samples to women victims of abuse
The heart of the study consists in the collection of biological champions of women who have undergone abuse. Through the local medicine network (clinics, emergency rescue, anti -violence houses, ASL), The victims of relational or sexual violence are informed about the possibility of participating in the project.
The blood samples will be taken every six months to monitor epigenetic variations over time. The projecthowever,, It is not limited to the victims only: also health workers and women who are not victims of violence can participate, thus helping to create a more complete picture.
An Italian multicenter study analyzes the link between trauma suffered by women and epigenetic variations associated with tumors, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases (Getty)
How the epigenetic profile of the woman who undergoes abuse changes
In parallel, Researchers will use a computer card to collect key data. This questionnaire includes questions about three fundamental areas:
- general contextwith personal information useful to contextualize participation.
- risk of violent recurrenceinvestigated through five specific questions.
- identification of post-traumatic stressevaluated with 18 targeted questions.
The goal is twofold: on the one hand analyze the epigenetic profile of the participants, on the other hand transform this information into practical tools for precision prevention.
A precision medicine for women victims of violence
The ultimate goal of the Epiwe project is ambitious: provide new scientific bases to intervene in a personalized way on the health of women victims of violence. As Simona Gaudi, coordinator of the project explains, “the analysis of the epigenoma it could allow you to predict which women are more at risk of developing certain diseases “improving prevention and early diagnosis. This approach is part of a wider vision of precision medicinecapable of adapting to the specific needs of each individual.
Science can do justice and give hope and support
The multidisciplinary approach of the Epiwe projectwhich combines scientific research, medicine and territorial assistance, represents an important step. The work of Gaudi and his team is, in fact, An invitation to look at violence not only as a personal tragedybut also as a phenomenon that can and must be faced with scientific rigor. Translating the pain into data, and prevention data, does not delete the fact that behind each sample of collected blood, there are real stories and lives, but it shows if anything, that Science can be not just a tool of knowledge, but also an act of justice and a promise of hope and support for those who have suffered the unheard of.
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