Dr. Flouris’s work has already helped build a prototype temperature bio-monitoring system. The system is as big as a smartphone and uses a series of sensors to monitor thermal parameters in different areas of the body. “I recently created a company to explore the possibility of commercialising this prototype,” explains Dr. Flouris, who works at the Institute of Research and Technology Thessaly in Greece.

The project team tested the hypothesis that our body does not try to keep a stable core temperature but, instead, aims at preventing heat from leaving the body. The researchers conducted a series of experiments involving a total of 35 adult volunteers.

The tests carried out involved applying thermal stimuli to different areas of the body, while making precise measurements of temperature and heat storage. This was achieved by immersing participants in very hot or cold water, having them exercise in very hot conditions, or monitoring their responses while they touched very hot or very cold objects. The results from these experiments show that the human body has biological tools that help it maintain a constant temperature through blocking any heat transfer.

Given that the human body’s consistent internal temperature plays a major role in a large number of innovative applications, such as clothing and air conditioning, the THERMOMICS project results could lead to substantial future innovation in these areas.

The knowledge gained from THERMOMICS project could also eventually help treat various conditions, including skin inflammations and fever. Moreover, in the words of Dr. Flouris “the team expects the research results to be used in improving existing public health guidelines in relation to heat stroke.”

THERMOMICS research was made possible by a Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant. These grants are aimed at researchers from the EU and Associated Countries who have conducted research outside Europe for at least five years and who wish to return to Europe.

“This grant was the vehicle that transformed me from a post-doctoral researcher working in a Canadian University to a Senior Researcher in a Greek Research Centre, leading a group of four PhD and six Master of Science students, and producing over ten high-impact publications per year,” affirms Dr. Flouris.

Dr. Flouris is now also actively collaborating with some of the most prominent European researchers in the field. “One of my PhD students is currently visiting Prof. Romain Meeusen, at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, to help conduct a research project. Moreover, my own research on THERMOMICS led to an invitation to become an Adjunct Professor in Environmental Medicine with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa in Canada,” says Dr. Flouris.

Dr. Flouris has been invited to present the THERMOMICS project’s findings at key international science conferences. Moreover, the research has already been published in peer-reviewed journals and scientific media.