Niels Vander Elst

Niels Vander Elst is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, affiliated with the Neuro-infections & Neuroinflammation research group led by Federico Iovino. He specializes in bacteriophage-derived endolysins as innovative antimicrobials to combat antibiotic-resistant infections, particularly in Gram-positive pathogens such as Streptococcus and Staphylococcus. Dr. Vander Elst holds a dual PhD in Biotechnology and Veterinary Medicine from KU Leuven and Ghent University, funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), and conducted research at the University of Maryland under a fellowship from the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF).

His research focuses on:

• Bacteriophage therapy and endolysin engineering
• Antibiotic resistance reversal mechanisms
• Neuro-infections and blood-brain barrier penetration
• Veterinary applications of antimicrobials
• Protein engineering and synthetic biology approaches

His publications demonstrate a progression from veterinary applications toward human medical innovations, with recent work focusing on restoring antibiotic susceptibility in resistant pathogens and treating central nervous system infections. Earlier research established foundational work on bovine mastitis therapeutics.

Honors include:

• Finalist for University of Maryland's 'Invention of the Year' (2020)
• Award recipient at the Encephalitis Meeting in London (2024)

Significant grants supporting his work:

• Kronprinsessan Lovisas Förening (2023, 2025): Endolysins for pneumococcal meningitis treatment
• Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (2020-2023): Engineering endolysins for bovine mastitis
• Belgian American Educational Foundation (2019): Bacteriophage-endolysin therapy development

Beyond research, Dr. Vander Elst teaches neurohistology in KI's medical curriculum, serves in the Junior Faculty Leadership, and promotes open science initiatives. He actively communicates scientific advancements through public outreach articles on phage-based antimicrobials.