prof. Frank Vanhaecke (PhD)

The Atomic & Mass Spectrometry – A&MS research unit is specialized in the determination, speciation and isotopic analysis of (trace) elements using various forms of ICP-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The research unit studies fundamental issues of the technique and develops novel analytical methods for addressing challenging problems in an interdisciplinary context.
In the context of cancer-related research, the A&MS unit, e.g., develops analytical approaches to visualize the 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional distribution of elements (e.g., Pt under the form of a chemotherapeutic drug) in tissues based on the combination of laser ablation (LA) sampling and ICP-MS. LA-ICP-MS can, e.g., also be used to study the fate of Fe-containing nanoparticle drug carriers or to study the distribution of metal-tagged antibodies in a tissue sample. The A&MS unit is also pioneering in exploring the use of isotope ratios in human body fluids and tissues for diagnostic/prognostic purposes and for unravelling disease mechanisms. A difference was established in the isotopic composition of Cu between tumour tissue and adjacent healthy tissue and Cu and Zn isotope ratios were shown to have prognostic value in hematological malignancies. Analytical protocols were developed for high-precision isotopic analysis of a series of essential elements (e.g., Mg, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn) using multi-collector ICP-MS in this context. The group is also developing methods for single-cell analysis whereby the absolute contents of metals, metalloids and some non-metals can be quantified on a single-cell basis.
 

Frank Vanhaecke is Senior Full Professor at the Department of Chemistry of Ghent University (Belgium), where he leads the ‘Atomic & Mass Spectrometry – A&MS’ research unit. His research group focuses on the determination, speciation and isotopic analysis of (trace) elements using ICP-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The A&MS groups studies fundamentally-oriented aspects of the technique and develops methods for solving challenging scientific problems in an interdisciplinary context. Nowadays, specific topics of research include spatially resolved analysis (including depth profiling and 2- and 3-dimensional elemental mapping) of tissues by means of ICP-MS using laser ablation (LA) for sample introduction, single-event ICP-MS focusing on the elemental analysis of engineered nanoparticles and cells, and high-precision isotopic analysis using multi-collector sector field ICP-MS in a biomedical context (“isotopic diagnosis”). So far, Frank has been the promoter of > 50 successfully defended PhDs and has guided ca. 30 postdoctoral researchers (duration of stay at the A&MS group > 1 year). To date, the team’s scientific research has resulted > 500 publications in peer-reviewed journals (> 20,000 citations, average number of citations per paper ca. 40). At the 2011 Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry (Zaragoza, Spain), Frank received a ‘European Plasma Spectrochemistry Award’ for his team’s contributions to this research field. In 2013, he was designated ‘Fellow of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy – SAS’. In 2017, he received the Lester W. Strock Award from SAS and in 2023, the Theophilus Redwood Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry RSC. He has been / is a member of the editorial board of ‘JAAS - Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry’ from 2007 – 2016 and from 2020 onwards, with the position of chairman from June 2012 – June 2016. In addition, he is also a Member of the Advisory Board of ‘SAB – Spectrochimica Acta B’ and associate editor of View Medicine. Frank is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry RSC.
 

• dr. Thibaut Van Acker (PhD) – post-doctoral fellow
• dr. Ana Lores Padin (PhD) – post-doctoral fellow
• dr. Lana Abou-Zeid (PhD) – post-doctoral fellow
• dr. Kaj Sullivan (PhD) – post-doctoral fellow
• Mina Nikolic – doctoral fellow
• Iker Basabe Mendizabal – doctoral fellow
• Gaoyan Tong – doctoral fellow
   

• High Resolution Laser Ablation - ICP - Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxic Side Effects, Analytica Chimica Acta, 943, 23-30, 2016.
• Cu isotopic signature in blood serum of liver transplant patients: a follow-up study, Scientific Reports, 6, Article number: 30683, 2016.
• Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for quantitative mapping of the copper distribution in liver tissue sections from mice with liver disease induced by common bile duct ligation, Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 32, 1805-1812, 2017.
• Fast high-resolution LA-ICP-MS imaging of the distribution of platinum-based anti-cancer compounds in multicellular tumor spheroids, Analytical Chemistry, 89, 12641-12645, 2017.
• High-resolution imaging and single-cell analysis via laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for the determination of membranous receptor expression levels in breast cancer cell lines using receptor-specific hybrid tracers, Analytica Chimica Acta, 1074, 43-53, 2019.
• Single-event tandem ICP-mass spectrometry for the quantification of chemotherapeutic drug-derived Pt and endogenous elements in individual human cells, Analytica Chimica Acta, 1177, paper nr. 338797, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2021.338797.
• High-precision isotopic analysis of essential mineral elements: capabilities as a diagnostic/prognostic tool, F. Vanhaecke and M. Costas-Rodríguez, View, 2, paper nr: 20200094, 2021.
• An evaluation of the analytical and biological robustness of a method for quantifying iron in individual red blood in individual red blood cells using single-cell tandem ICP-mass spectrometry, R. Dejonghe, E. Bolea-Fernandez, A. Lores-Padin, T. Van Acker, A. Rua-Ibarz, O. De Wever and F. Vanhaecke, Microchemical Journal, 207, paper nr. 112013, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2024.112013.
• Quantitative determination and subcellular mapping of Pt-drugs in single breast tumour cells via laser ablation – ICP-mass spectrometry, L. Colina-Vegas, T. Van Acker, W. Villarreal, O. De Wever, A.A. Batista, J.A. Nobrega and F. Vanhaecke, Dalton Transactions, 53, 18880–18889, 2024.
• Improving transport efficiency for large human cells for enabling accurate determination of cellular nanoparticle uptake via SC-ICP-TOF MS, M. Nikolić, A. Lores-Padin, T. Van Acker, T. Smets, I. Goemaere, A. Ahmad, K. Braeckmans, E. Bolea-Fernandez and F. Vanhaecke, Talanta, paper nr. 128696, 2025.
   

• address: Atomic & Mass Spectrometry - A&MS research unit,
  Ghent University, Department of Chemistry,
  Campus Sterre, Krijgslaan 281 - S12, 9000 Gent
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