prof. An Hendrix (PhD)

Extracellular vesicles (EV) are membrane-enclosed communicative particles released in body fluids that carry cell-type-specific molecular patterns including nucleic acids and proteins. Knowledge on their origin, fate and function in the human body is required to accelerate therapeutic and diagnostic applications but hampered by a plethora of technological pitfalls (Hendrix, Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol, 2021). Hereto, my research group has developed a supporting ecosystem to mature EV into clinical applications (Hendrix et al., Nat Rev Meth Primers, 2023).

• First, we have created the EV-TRACK knowledgebase and launched the EV-TRACK coaching tool to stimulate transparency and steer reproducibility (Van Deun et al., Nat Methods, 2017). It’s use is endorsed by the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) and included in the minimal information guidelines for EV.

• Second, we have designed recombinant EV, that are easily trackable and distinguishable from sample EV, to support instrument calibration and data normalization (Geeurickx et al., Nat Commun, 2019; Geeurickx et al., Nat Protoc, 2021; https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/ : cat. no.: SAE0193)

• Third, we have established reproducible protocols to separate EV from other interfering particles in body fluids (Tulkens et al., Nat Protoc, 2020).

The overarching goal of my research group is to implement this supporting ecosystem to study the origin, fate and function of EV in the human body and exploit this know-how for the development of biomarker and therapeutic applications.
 

SCIENTIFIC DEGREES
2005: Msc. bioscience engineering cell and gene biotechnology
2010: PhD health sciences

PROFESSIONAL CAREER
2005-2010: PhD student, Department of Medical Oncology, Ghent University
2010-2019: postdoctoral fellow, Department of Radiation Oncology and Experimental Cancer Research, Ghent University
2017-2022: Assistant professor, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University
Since 2022: Full professor, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University

VISITING SCIENTIST
INSERM U482, 75571 Paris 12, France (2006)
Medical Genetics Branch, NHGRI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, US (2007, 2008, 2009, 2015)
Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, Calgary, Canada (2017)

SCIENTIFIC AWARDS
2022: ERC consolidator grant, EU
2022: Laureate Vlaamse Wetenschappelijke Stichting Award, Belgian Royal Academies of Medicine, Brussels, Belgium
2021: Early/Mid-career Investigator Award from the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV)
2019: Laureate Frans Van Cauwelaert Award, Belgian Royal Academies of Medicine, Brussels, Belgium
2017: YIPOC grant, CRIG
2013: Laureate Fundamental research award from the Belgian Royal Academies of Medicine

PATENTS
Use of the GTPase Rab27B to diagnose and to treat poor prognosis estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer (PCT/EP2010/056542, 12.05.2010)Use of the GTPase Rab27B to diagnose and to treat poor prognosis estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer (WO2010130782A1)
Usages of recombinant extracellular vesicles (WO2019091964A1)
 

• prof. Olivier De Wever - principal investigator, full professor
• prof. An Hendrix - principal investigator, assistant professor
• dr. Glenn Vergauwen (MD, PhD) - clinician, post-doctoral fellow
• dr. Lien Lippens (PhD) - post-doctoral fellow
• dr. Martina Pannetta (PhD) - post-doctoral fellow
• dr. Martina Fabiano (PhD) - post-doctoral fellow
• dr. Cláudio Pinheiro (PhD) - post-doctoral fellow
• dr. Sofie Van Dorpe - doctoral fellow
• dr. Nele De Langhe (MD) - doctoral fellow
• Niké Guilbert - doctoral fellow
• Tingyu Hu - doctoral fellow
• Amélie Vander Cruyssen - doctoral fellow
• Petra Vrdoljak - doctoral fellow
• Alessandro Idrovo - doctoral fellow
• Huyen Nguyen - doctoral fellow
• Mikael Olefs - doctoral fellow
• Tobie Vermant - doctoral fellow
• Marthe Calloens - doctoral fellow
• Jiaxin Luo - doctoral fellow
• Johanna Mestach - lab technician
• Stephanie Decloedt - lab technician
• Wendy De Rycke - secretary
   

• Mapping bacterial extracellular vesicle research: insights, best practices and knowledge gaps. Nat Commun. 2024 Oct 31;15(1):9410.
• Identification and validation of extracellular vesicle reference genes for the normalization of RT-qPCR data. Extracell Vesicles. 2024 Apr;13(4):e12421.
• Extracellular vesicle analysis. Nat Rev Meth Prim. 2023
• Benchmarking blood collection tubes and processing intervals for extracellular vesicle performance metrics. J Extracell Vesicles. 2023 May;12(5):e12315.
• Systemically circulating bacterial extracellular vesicles: origin, fate, and function. Trends Microbiol. 2022 Mar;30(3):213-216.
• The nature of blood(y) extracellular vesicles. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2021 Apr;22(4):243.
• Analyzing bacterial extracellular vesicles in human body fluids by orthogonal biophysical separation and biochemical characterization. Nat Protoc. 2020;15(1):40-67.
• Increased levels of systemic LPS-positive bacterial extracellular vesicles in patients with intestinal barrier dysfunction. Gut. 2020 Jan;69(1):191-193.
• The generation and use of recombinant extracellular vesicles as biological reference material. Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 23;10(1):3288.
• EV-TRACK: transparent reporting and centralizing knowledge in extracellular vesicle research. Nat Methods. 2017 Feb 28;14(3):228-232.
   

• Lab address: 
  Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, 
  Department of Human Structure and Repair,  
  Campus UZ Gent, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, The Core, ingang 37, 9000 Gent, Belgium
• EV-TRACK
• BESEV
• ISEV
• ELBS
• Member of the Consortium for Sarcoma Research Ghent (ConSaRGhent)