Review

. 2025;98(Suppl. 2):121-143.

doi: 10.1159/000549203. Epub 2025 Nov 27.

EndoCompass Project: Research Roadmap for Reproductive and Developmental Endocrinology

Martine Cools^{1

2}, Csilla Krausz^{3

4}, Anders Juul^{5

6}, Djuro Macut⁷, Marianne Skovsager Andersen^{8

9}, Anna-Maria Andersson^{5

6}, Cynthia L Andoniadou^{10

11}, S Faisal Ahmed¹², Julie Bakker¹³, Anu Bashamboo¹⁴, Hermann M Behre¹⁵, Marco Bonomi^{16

17}, Alexander Siegfried Busch⁵, Chloë De Roo¹⁸, Arianne Dessens^{1

19}, Muhammad Fakhar-I-Adil²⁰, Flaminia Fanelli²¹, Alessandra Daphne Fisher²², Christa Flück²³, Alessandra Gambineri^{21

24}, Aleksander Giwercman²⁵, Claus H Gravholt^{26

27

28}, Sabine Hannema^{29

30

31}, Björn Heindryckx²⁰, Olaf Hiort³², Nadine C Hornig³³, Sasha Howard^{34

35}, Lourdes Ibáñez^{36

37}, Martin Blomberg Jensen^{38

39}, Niels Jørgensen^{5

6}, Sarantis Livadas⁴⁰, Angela Lucas-Herald¹², George Mastorakos⁴¹, Maria Cristina Meriggiola^{21

42}, Ken Ong^{43

44}, Milica Opalic Palibrk⁷, Duarte Pignatelli^{45

46}, Nelly Pitteloud⁴⁷, Ewa Rajpert-De Meyts⁵, Rodolfo Rey⁴⁸, Ralitsa Robeva⁴⁹, Carlotta Pozza⁵⁰, Stefan Schlatt⁵¹, Giorgia Spaggiari⁵², Lloyd Tack^{1

2}, Manuel Tena-Sempere^{53

54}, Herman Tournaye⁵⁵, Guy T'Sjoen⁵⁶, Norah Van Mello⁵⁷, Walter Vena^{58

59}, Bulent O Yildiz⁶⁰, Francis de Zegher⁶¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine and Paediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
² Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
³ Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy, csilla.krausz@unifi.it.
⁴ Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy, csilla.krausz@unifi.it.
⁵ Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁶ Rigshospitalet, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, International Research and Research Training Center in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁷ Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
⁸ Endocrinology, Odense Universitetshospital, Odense, Denmark.
⁹ University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
¹⁰ Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, London, UK.
¹¹ Department of Medicine III, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
¹² Developmental Endocrinology Research Group, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
¹³ Département des Sciences Biomédicales et Précliniques Biologie de la Différenciation Sexuelle du Cerveau GIGA Neurosciences-Neuroendocrinology, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
¹⁴ Human Developmental Genetics Unit, CNRS (UMR 373), Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.
¹⁵ Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University of Halle, Halle, Germany.
¹⁶ Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
¹⁷ Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.
¹⁸ Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
¹⁹ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
²⁰ Ghent-Fertility and Stem Cell Team (G-FaST), Department for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
²¹ Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna Hospital of Bologna Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic, Bologna, Italy.
²² Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy.
²³ Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, University Childrens Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
²⁴ Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes Prevention and Care, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero - Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico S. Orsola, Bologna, Italy.
²⁵ Deparment of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
²⁶ Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
²⁷ Department of Clinical Medicine, Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
²⁸ Aarhus University and Department of Endocrinology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
²⁹ Department of Paediatrics, Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³⁰ Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology Metabolism, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³¹ Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³² Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lubeck, Germany.
³³ Institute of Human Genetics, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
³⁴ Centre for Endocrinology, William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
³⁵ Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
³⁶ Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.
³⁷ Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.
³⁸ Division of Translational Endocrinology, Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark.
³⁹ Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁴⁰ Unit of Endocrinology, Athens Medical Centre, Athens, Greece.
⁴¹ Faculty of Medicine, Endocrine Unit, "Aretaieion" Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens University, Athens, Greece.
⁴² IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero - Universitaria di Bologna, Policlinico S. Orsola, Division of Gynecology and Physiopathology of Human Reproduction, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
⁴³ MRC Epidemiology Unit, Childhood Obesity, Cambridge, UK.
⁴⁴ Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
⁴⁵ Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁴⁶ Hospital S. Joao, Porto, Portugal.
⁴⁷ CHUV, EDM, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁴⁸ CONICET-FEI-División Endocrinología, Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas "Dr. César Bergadá" (CEDIE), Hospital de Niños R Gutiérrez, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
⁴⁹ Medical University-Sofia, MF, Department of Endocrinology, USHATE "Acad. Iv. Penchev", Sofia, Bulgaria.
⁵⁰ Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
⁵¹ CeRA, University Münster, Münster, Germany.
⁵² Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Medical Specialties, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Modena, Modena, Italy.
⁵³ Physiology Section, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba (IMIBIC), Cordoba, Spain.
⁵⁴ CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.
⁵⁵ Brussels IVF, The Centre for Reproductive Medicine of the Dutch-speaking Brussels Free University Hospital VUB, Brussels, Belgium.
⁵⁶ Endocrinology, University Hospital Gent, Gent, Belgium.
⁵⁷ Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁵⁸ Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy.
⁵⁹ Endocrinology and Diabetology Center, Humanitas Gavazzeni Institute, Bergamo, Italy.
⁶⁰ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
⁶¹ Department of Development and Regeneration, Woman and Child, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

PMID: 41308065
PMCID: PMC12698133
DOI: 10.1159/000549203

Review

EndoCompass Project: Research Roadmap for Reproductive and Developmental Endocrinology

Martine Cools et al. Horm Res Paediatr. 2025.

. 2025;98(Suppl. 2):121-143.

doi: 10.1159/000549203. Epub 2025 Nov 27.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine and Paediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
² Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
³ Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy, csilla.krausz@unifi.it.
⁴ Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy, csilla.krausz@unifi.it.
⁵ Department of Growth and Reproduction, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁶ Rigshospitalet, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, International Research and Research Training Center in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health (EDMaRC), Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁷ Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
⁸ Endocrinology, Odense Universitetshospital, Odense, Denmark.
⁹ University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
¹⁰ Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, London, UK.
¹¹ Department of Medicine III, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
¹² Developmental Endocrinology Research Group, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
¹³ Département des Sciences Biomédicales et Précliniques Biologie de la Différenciation Sexuelle du Cerveau GIGA Neurosciences-Neuroendocrinology, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
¹⁴ Human Developmental Genetics Unit, CNRS (UMR 373), Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.
¹⁵ Center for Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University of Halle, Halle, Germany.
¹⁶ Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
¹⁷ Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.
¹⁸ Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
¹⁹ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
²⁰ Ghent-Fertility and Stem Cell Team (G-FaST), Department for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
²¹ Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna Hospital of Bologna Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic, Bologna, Italy.
²² Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy.
²³ Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, University Childrens Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
²⁴ Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes Prevention and Care, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero - Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico S. Orsola, Bologna, Italy.
²⁵ Deparment of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
²⁶ Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
²⁷ Department of Clinical Medicine, Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
²⁸ Aarhus University and Department of Endocrinology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
²⁹ Department of Paediatrics, Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³⁰ Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology Metabolism, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³¹ Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³² Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lubeck, Germany.
³³ Institute of Human Genetics, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
³⁴ Centre for Endocrinology, William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
³⁵ Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
³⁶ Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.
³⁷ Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.
³⁸ Division of Translational Endocrinology, Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark.
³⁹ Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁴⁰ Unit of Endocrinology, Athens Medical Centre, Athens, Greece.
⁴¹ Faculty of Medicine, Endocrine Unit, "Aretaieion" Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens University, Athens, Greece.
⁴² IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero - Universitaria di Bologna, Policlinico S. Orsola, Division of Gynecology and Physiopathology of Human Reproduction, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
⁴³ MRC Epidemiology Unit, Childhood Obesity, Cambridge, UK.
⁴⁴ Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
⁴⁵ Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁴⁶ Hospital S. Joao, Porto, Portugal.
⁴⁷ CHUV, EDM, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁴⁸ CONICET-FEI-División Endocrinología, Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas "Dr. César Bergadá" (CEDIE), Hospital de Niños R Gutiérrez, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
⁴⁹ Medical University-Sofia, MF, Department of Endocrinology, USHATE "Acad. Iv. Penchev", Sofia, Bulgaria.
⁵⁰ Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
⁵¹ CeRA, University Münster, Münster, Germany.
⁵² Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Medical Specialties, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Modena, Modena, Italy.
⁵³ Physiology Section, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba (IMIBIC), Cordoba, Spain.
⁵⁴ CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.
⁵⁵ Brussels IVF, The Centre for Reproductive Medicine of the Dutch-speaking Brussels Free University Hospital VUB, Brussels, Belgium.
⁵⁶ Endocrinology, University Hospital Gent, Gent, Belgium.
⁵⁷ Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, Amsterdam UMC Location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁵⁸ Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy.
⁵⁹ Endocrinology and Diabetology Center, Humanitas Gavazzeni Institute, Bergamo, Italy.
⁶⁰ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
⁶¹ Department of Development and Regeneration, Woman and Child, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

PMID: 41308065
PMCID: PMC12698133
DOI: 10.1159/000549203

Abstract

Background: Endocrine science remains underrepresented in European Union research programs despite the fundamental role of hormone health in human well-being. Analysis of the CORDIS database reveals a persistent gap between the societal impact of endocrine disorders and their research prioritization. At national funding level, endocrine societies report limited or little attention of national research funding towards endocrinology. The EndoCompass project - a joint initiative between the European Society of Endocrinology and the European Society of Paediatric Endocrinology, aimed to identify and promote strategic research priorities in endocrine science to address critical hormone-related health challenges.

Methods: Research priorities were established through comprehensive analysis of the EU CORDIS database covering the Horizon 2020 framework period (2014-2020). Expert consultation was conducted to identify key research priorities, followed by broader stakeholder engagement including society members and patient advocacy groups.

Results: Research priorities encompass variations in sex development, hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal regulation, and female and male reproductive disorders. Key areas include improving diagnostic capacity through (epi)genetic analysis, optimizing hormonal treatments, developing fertility preservation strategies. Special emphasis is placed on establishing pan-European registries, developing novel reproductive technologies, and exploring environmental impacts on reproductive health.

Conclusions: This component of the EndoCompass project provides an evidence-based roadmap for strategic research investment. This framework identifies crucial investigation areas into reproductive and developmental endocrinology pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment strategies, ultimately aimed at reducing the burden of these disorders on individuals and society. The findings support the broader EndoCompass objective of aligning research funding with areas of the highest potential impact in endocrine health.

Keywords: EndoCompass; Funding; Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal·axis; Reproduction; Roadmap.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

**Fig. 1.**
Mechanistic studies of variations in sex development.

**Fig. 2.**
Future research perspectives in female reproduction diseases/conditions.

**Fig. 3.**
Research priorities in hyperandrogenism and metabolic outcomes.

**Fig. 4.**
Future research perspectives in overweight and PCOS.

**Fig. 5.**
Future research perspectives in male reproduction and couple infertility.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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EndoCompass Project: Research Roadmap for Reproductive and Developmental Endocrinology

Affiliations

EndoCompass Project: Research Roadmap for Reproductive and Developmental Endocrinology

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical

Miscellaneous