Nigerian Genius Bags €1.5m EU Grant to Expose Vaping Dangers

​KUOPIO, Finland — Prominent Nigerian physician-researcher Professor Andrew Agbaje has secured a highly competitive €1.5 million European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant to spearhead a groundbreaking five-year investigation into the long-term health consequences of youth vaping.

​Operating out of the University of Eastern Finland, Agbaje will lead the ambitious VAPE-HABIT project, which aims to decode how electronic cigarette consumption influences vital organ systems—including the heart, brain, kidneys, and liver—alongside overall metabolic health in adolescents and young adults.

​The ERC Starting Grant represents one of the most rigorous and sought-after individual research accolades in Europe, utilizing scientific excellence as its exclusive benchmark to empower exceptional early-career innovators. This latest win marks a historic milestone as the first ERC Starting Grant secured by the University of Eastern Finland’s Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition.

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​Unpacking the VAPE-HABIT Methodology

​To comprehensively evaluate the hidden physiological tolls of e-cigarettes, the VAPE-HABIT initiative will leverage the rich longitudinal data provided by the “Children of the 90s” cohort (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, or ALSPAC) based at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. Because this extensive database tracks participants prospectively over time, Agbaje’s team can rigorously analyze causal pathways linking vaping to cardiovascular abnormalities, renal and hepatic strain, and neurological disorders.

​Beyond clinical endpoint tracking, the study will deploy advanced proteomic analysis to uncover microscopic biological mechanisms driving vaping-induced tissue damage, with the ultimate objective of isolating potential therapeutic targets. The research will also explore the intergenerational impacts of maternal vaping during pregnancy on offspring blood pressure and growth patterns, while using advanced biostatistical modeling and quasi-experiments to map effective reversal interventions.

​A Global Public Health Imperative

​The initiative arrives amid escalating international alarm over surging e-cigarette adoption among teenagers. Highlighting the urgency of the crisis, Agbaje pointed out that youths who experiment with vapes are up to four times more vulnerable to transitioning into conventional tobacco smoking.

​This project builds directly upon Agbaje’s extensive body of pediatric clinical epidemiology, which recently earned him global acclaim—including a top-tier worldwide ranking in arterial stiffness research and multiple distinctions from the American Heart Association.

​By bridging Finnish institutional backing with African scientific leadership, the VAPE-HABIT study promises to deliver empirical frameworks destined to redefine global health guidelines, shape regulatory policies, and protect future generations from latent nicotine-induced pathologies. Implementation is slated to officially kick off in early 2027.