IC-3Rs • Innovation Centre for 3R Alternatives

3Rs Research

Young researchers are given the possibility to do a doctoral thesis with focus on the replacement and reduction of experimental animals. Topics of research are situated in the Life Sciences (fundamental & applied research) and in the broad field of toxicology of which regulatory toxicology is a part.

Running doctoral theses

Joost Boeckmans

Research Output
  • Bi-annual PhD-thesis award of the Belgian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) 2020-2021
  • Best Poster prize at the “BelTox/IC-3Rs/INVITROM Joint Symposium” 2019 [Brussels, Belgium]
  • Best poster prize at the “Global NASH Congress” 2019 [London, United Kingdom]

Lorna Marchandise

Research Output
  • New approach methods to improve human health risk assessment of thyroid hormone system disruption–a PARC project, Frontiers in toxicology, 2023 (review article)
  • JRC Summer School on Non-animal Approaches in Science 2023, Development of a human stem cell-based in vitro model to assess toxicity hazards induced by thyroid hormone system disruptors during the early phases of liver development.

Qiuyang Chen

  • Master in Animal Genetics Breeding and Reproduction 2024
  • Fascinated by the silent language of non-coding RNAs and their role in liver health and disease

Completed doctoral theses

Alexandra Gatzios

  • Pharmaceutical Sciences - Master of Science in Drug Development 2020 Magna cum laude
  • Fellow strategic basic research at FWO
  • Likes to use creative approaches to answer scientific questions
Research Output

Quinten Marcelis




Alessandra Natale

Research Output
  • Technological advancements for the development of stem cell- based models for hepatotoxicity testing. Archives of Toxicology, 2019 (review article, 1st author)
  • Hepatic cells derived from human skin progenitors show a typical phospholipidotic response upon exposure to amiodarone. Toxicology Letters, 2018 (review article, 1st author)

Anouck Thienpont

  • Pharmaceutical Sciences - Master of Science in Drug Development 2018 Magna cum laude • Pharmaceutical Sciences - Master of Pharmaceutical Care 2019
  • Passion for the skin and dermato-cosmetic products
Research Output

Running postdoctoral project

Yoni Baert

Research Output
  • Total publications: 27 - First author: 8; co-author: 9; last author: 5; book chapter: 1, book protocol chapters: 3 (+ 3 submitted)
  • Several Grants and Prizes (National and international)

Robim Rodrigues

  • BSc Chemistry - MSc Biotechnology - PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Investigation of adipose tissue-derived factors in the development and resolution of metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) using in vitro models