Elien Alderweireldt

elienalderweireldt-pngPostdoc Researcher

Elien Alderweireldt always had an interest on how diet influences human health and disease. Her research focuses on the link between dietary compounds and (sub)toxic effects on human cells, using different in vitro cell-based models.

In 2017, she obtained her master degree in Bioscience Engineering: food science and nutrition at Ghent University. She did her master thesis in the lab of the NutriFOODchem research group at campus Coupure and the LECR group at UZ Ghent, with Prof. Van Camp and Prof. De Wever as promotors. In the same year, she received an FWO fellowship for a PhD, which allowed her to continue the work that was initiated by her master thesis. 

In her PhD, she investigated the impact of meat components and microbial metabolites of red/processed meat (meals) on colorectal (cancer) cells. Using different techniques to assess the cellular output during and after treatment with these compounds, possible mechanisms that could explain the increased risk of developing colorectal cancer when consuming high amounts of red and processed meats were elucidated. During this period, she implemented 3D cell models such as spheroids and organoids as more physiologically relevant models in the lab.

As a postdoctoral researcher within the IMPTOX project, supervised by prof. Andreja Rajkovic and aiming at evaluating the impact of environmental micro- and nanoplastics on human health, she applies her experience in cell modeling and functional responses to investigate the effect of nanoplastic exposure on liver cells. Using state-of-the-art instruments, such as the IncuCyte live cell analyzer and the Agilent Seahorse extracellular flux analyzer, we gain insights in the interplay of plastic particles and human cells, and the potential consequences thereof.

Contact & Information

Elien Alderweireldt