My project
More than 500 astronauts have been sent into space to conduct exploration missions thus far. This number is expected to increase at high pace in the next decades given the rise of touristic space travel. Spaceflight affects various physiological processes in astronauts due to harsh environmental conditions, notably microgravity. Currently, the impact of microgravity on drug transporters remains unexplored. The project will investigate the potential of simulated microgravity to alter drug transporters and to induce cholestasis using in vitro systems by using liver cell lines. The knowledge that will be generated in the project is critical for taking appropriate measures to counteract pathogenesis, especially given long-term space missions.
My publications
Helvacıoğlu Akyüz, S., Cools, B., Ong, J., Waisberg, E., Lee, R., Lee, A. G., & Vinken, M. (2025). The brain-eye-liver axis during spaceflight: Implications of hepatic dysfunction in spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome. Life Sciences in Space Research, 47, 164–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lssr.2025.07.001
Vinken, M., Grimm, D., Baatout, S., Baselet, B., Beheshti, A., Braun, M., Carstens, A. C., Casaletto, J. A., Cools, B., Costes, S. V., De Meulemeester, P., Doruk, B., Eyal, S., Ferreira, M. J. S., Miranda, S., Hahn, C., Helvacıoğlu Akyüz, S., Herbert, S., Krepkiy, D., Lichterfeld, Y., … Tagle, D. A. (2025). Taking the 3Rs to a higher level: Replacement and reduction of animal testing in life sciences in space research. Biotechnology Advances, 81, 108574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2025.108574
Vinken, M., Grimm, D., Baatout, S., Baselet, B., Beheshti, A., Braun, M., Carstens, A. C., Casaletto, J. A., Cools, B., Costes, S. V., De Meulemeester, P., Doruk, B., Eyal, S., Ferreira, M. J. S., Miranda, S., Hahn, C., Helvacıoğlu Akyüz, S., Herbert, S., Krepkiy, D., Lichterfeld, Y., … Tagle, D. A. (2025). Taking the 3Rs to a higher level: Replacement and reduction of animal testing in life sciences in space research. Biotechnology Advances, 81, 108574. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-22259-7.00021-7
My Training and conferences
European Researchers’ Night 2024 , WiseNight, Brussels, September 2024
FWO SRN symposium 15 May 2025. Poster presentation. Jiang, J., Cools, B., Helvacıoğlu Akyüz, S., Ertaylan, G., Peeters, R., Jennen, D., De Kok, T. M. & Vinken, M.
European Reseachers’ Night 2025: WiseNight, Brussels, September 2025
My videos