Joost Boeckmans

Joost Boeckmans is a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. His work focuses on stem cell-based in vitro models for studying liver diseases, drug responses, and toxicology. He is affiliated with the In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology department and holds a Researcher title.

• Education: PhD in Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences (2020), Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2016, 2018), Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2024).

Joost's research spans non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/NASH), genetic predisposition in drug response, in vitro toxicology, and adverse outcome pathways. His work integrates human stem cells, polygenic risk scores, and thyroid hormone signaling to develop drug testing platforms. Recent publications (2025) explore MASLD/ALD cirrhosis outcomes, PNPLA3 I148M mutation in liver injury, and anti-MAFLD drug development.

Key article trends include genetic mediators (ANGPTL4, PDK4, PLIN2), in vitro model optimization, and cross-disease comparisons (ALD vs. MASLD). His scientific awards include:

• Colgate-Palmolive postdoctoral fellowship (2023)
• National Award of the Belgian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2021)
• Poster prizes at Global NASH Congress (2019) and BelTox/IC-3Rs/INVITROM Joint Symposium (2019)

Joost collaborates on projects like FWOSB134 (anti-MAFLD drugs) and AIIFUND101 (PRS-HFC for drug responses). He has presented at conferences in 2022-2024, including talks on anti-MASH drug response and liver steatosis AOP networks.