Meike van der Zande

Dr. Meike van der Zande is a Researcher at Wageningen University & Research, affiliated with the Team Toxicology. Her work focuses on developing in vitro models (e.g., iPSC-derived intestinal epithelial cells) to assess hazards of food additives, nanomaterials, and pharmaceuticals. She leads projects advancing animal-free testing strategies and contributes to regulatory frameworks for New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in toxicology.

Her research integrates transcriptomics, cell biology, and nanotoxicology to understand cellular responses to environmental and pharmaceutical exposures. Key projects include:

• Development of immunocompetent intestinal organoids for oral hazard assessment
• Qualification of NAMs for nanomaterial risk assessment in food/feed sectors
• Comparative studies of iPSC-derived cells vs. traditional models (e.g., Caco-2)

Van der Zande has published over 46 peer-reviewed articles and datasets on topics like protein corona effects, Bayesian networks for nanomaterial hazard ranking, and fecal microbiome interactions.

She actively collaborates across disciplines and participates in EU-funded projects (e.g., ACCORDs). Her work has been featured in media for advancing animal-free testing methodologies.