dr. K. Broersen (Kerensa)

I am working in the Applied Stem Cell Technologies group as an associate professor where I head a subgroup of researchers interested in the biochemical and cell biological aspects of the brain. I was trained as a biochemist and obtained my PhD in food chemistry from Wageningen University in The Netherlands. After this I moved to the Medical Research Council - Laboratory of Molecular Biology to work for two years as a postdoc with Bazbek Davletov and Michel Goedert on the aggregation of alpha-synuclein, a protein involved in Parkinson's disease, as a function of a number of membrane-enriched fatty acids. I then worked for three and a half years, first as a postdoc, later as an assistant professor, in the Switch Laboratory, headed by Frederic Rousseau and Joost Schymkowitz, at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) and Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB). Since 2011 I worked in the Nanobiophysics Group at the Science and Technology faculty at the University of Twente. This group was first headed by Vinod Subramaniam and since 2013 by Mireille Claessens. Since 2019 I am a member of the Applied Stem Cell Technologies group headed by Robert Passier.

Faculty of Science and Technology (TNW), Applied Stem Cell Technologies (AST)

NIZO
Project leader at NIZO food research

Together with my team I am interested in studying the fundamental biochemistry of cell to cell signaling to, from and inside of the brain in relation to neurodegenerative diseases. We aim at seeking answers to our questions using a combined biochemistry, biophysics, and cell biology approach including the use of microfluidic chip systems for cell culture. Typical questions we address in our team include:

- what is the mechanistic background of clinically identified risk factors for Alzheimer's disease?

- how do neighboring cells communicate their disease status to ultimately, in late disease stages, span the entire brain?

- how do cells of the immune system and neurons interact to give rise to neuroinflammation?

- how can we explain the molecular basis of the connection between neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration?

- how does the microbiome communicate with the brain?

We are embedded in the faculty of Science and Technology in the Applied Stem Cell Technologies group.

Our research is financed by ZonMw (Memorabel - Deltaplan Dementie), Alzheimer Nederland, Fulbright, NWO Zwaartekracht (organ-on-chip initiative - in collaboration with Christine Mummery and Albert van de Berg), SFI Career Development Award Programme (in collaboration with Damien Thompson).

Passeri, E., Elkhoury, K., Morsink, M. , Broersen, K., Linder, M., Tamayol, A., Malaplate, C., Yen, F. T., & Arab-Tehrany, E. (2022). Alzheimer’s Disease: Treatment Strategies and Their Limitations. International journal of molecular sciences, 23(22), [13954]. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232213954

Buentello, D. C. , Koch, L. S., Trujillo-De Santiago, G., Alvarez, M. M. , & Broersen, K. (2022). Use of standard U-bottom and V-bottom well plates to generate neuroepithelial embryoid bodies. PLoS ONE, 17(5 May), [e0262062]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262062

Borges, A. C. , Broersen, K., Leandro, P., & Fernandes, T. G. (2022). Engineering Organoids for in vitro Modeling of Phenylketonuria. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 14, [787242]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2021.787242

Zakharova, M. (2022). Engineering a multiplexed Blood-Brain Barrier-on-a-chip. [PhD Thesis - Research UT, graduation UT, University of Twente]. University of Twente. https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036554299

Cioffi, F., Adam, R. H. I. , Bansal, R. , & Broersen, K. (2021). A review of oxidative stress products and related genes in early alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 83(3), 977-1001. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-210497

Zakharova, M. , Tibbe, M. P. , Koch, L. S. , Le-The, H. , Leferink, A. M. , van den Berg, A. , van der Meer, A. D. , Broersen, K. , & Segerink, L. I. (2021). Transwell-Integrated 2 µm Thick Transparent Polydimethylsiloxane Membranes with Controlled Pore Sizes and Distribution to Model the Blood-Brain Barrier. Advanced Materials Technologies, 6(12), [2100138]. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202100138

Vaneyck, J. , Segers-Nolten, I. , Broersen, K. , & Claessens, M. M. A. E. (2021). Cross-seeding of alpha-synuclein aggregation by amyloid fibrils of food proteins. Journal of biological chemistry, 296, [100358]. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JBC.2021.100358

Marasco, D., Vicidomini, C., Krupa, P. , Cioffi, F., Huy, P. D. Q., Li, M. S., Florio, D. , Broersen, K., De Pandis, M. F., & Roviello, G. N. (2021). Plant isoquinoline alkaloids as potential neurodrugs: A comparative study of the effects of benzo[c]phenanthridine and berberine-based compounds on β-amyloid aggregation. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 334, [109300]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2020.109300

Broersen, K. (2020). Detection of amyloid aggregation in living systems. In Protein Homeostasis Diseases: Mechanisms and Novel Therapies (pp. 127-152). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819132-3.00007-5

Broersen, K. (2020). Milk processing affects structure, bioavailability and immunogenicity of β-lactoglobulin. Foods, 9(7), [874]. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9070874

Zakharova, M., Palma do Carmo, M. A. , van der Helm, M. W. , Le-The, H., de Graaf, M. N. S., Orlova, V. , van den Berg, A. , van der Meer, A. D. , Broersen, K. , & Segerink, L. I. (2020). Multiplexed blood-brain barrier organ-on-chip. Lab on a chip, 20(17), 3132-3143. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0lc00399a

Claes, F., Rudyak, S., Laird, A. S., Louros, N., Beerten, J., Debulpaep, M., Michiels, E., van der Kant, R., Van Durme, J., De Baets, G., Houben, B., Ramakers, M., Yuan, K., Gwee, S. S. L., Hernandez, S. , Broersen, K., Oliveberg, M., Moahamed, B., Kirstein, J., ... Schymkowitz, J. (2019). Exposure of a cryptic Hsp70 binding site determines the cytotoxicity of the ALS-associated SOD1-mutant A4V. Protein engineering, design & selection : PEDS, 32(10), 443-457. https://doi.org/10.1093/protein/gzaa008

Zakharova, M. , van der Helm, M., do Carmo, M. P. , Le-The, H. , Tibbe, M. , van der Meer, A. , Broersen, K. , Eijkel, J. , & Segerink, L. (2019). Multiplexed organ-on-chip device for increased throughput analysis of the tissue barrier function. In 23rd International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, MicroTAS 2019 (pp. 432-433). The Chemical and Biological Microsystems Society.

Zakharova, M. , van der Helm, M., Palma Do Carmo, M. , Le The, H. , Tibbe, M. , van der Meer, A. , Broersen, K. , Eijkel, J. , & Segerink, L. (2019). Multiplexed organ-on-chip device for increased throughput analysis of the tissue barrier function. Poster session presented at 23rd International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, µTAS 2019, Basel, Switzerland.

Cioffi, F., Adam, R. H. I. , & Broersen, K. (2019). Molecular Mechanisms and Genetics of Oxidative Stress in Alzheimer's Disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 72(4), 981-1017. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-190863

Cioffi, F. (2019). Investigation into the molecular complexity of Alzheimer's disease: an amyloid-ß centered approach. [PhD Thesis - Research UT, graduation UT, University of Twente]. University of Twente. https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036548410

Hubin, E., Verghese, P. B., van Nuland, N. , & Broersen, K. (2019). Apolipoprotein E associated with reconstituted high-density lipoprotein-like particles is protected from aggregation. FEBS letters, 593(11), 1144-1153. https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.13428

Vicidomini, C. , Cioffi, F. , Broersen, K., Roviello, V., Riccardi, C., Montesarchio, D., Capasso, D., Gaetano, S. D., Musumeci, D., & Roviello, G. N. (2019). Benzodifurans for biomedical applications: BZ4, a selective anti-proliferative and anti-amyloid lead compound. Future Medicinal Chemistry, 11(4), 285-302. https://doi.org/10.4155/fmc-2018-0473

Gera, J., Szögi, T., Bozsó, Z., Fülöp, L., Barrera, E. E., Rodriguez, A. M., Méndez, L., Delpiccolo, C. M. L., Mata, E. G. , Cioffi, F. , Broersen, K., Paragi, G., & Enriz, R. D. (2018). Searching for improved mimetic peptides inhibitors preventing conformational transition of amyloid-β₄₂ monomer. Bioorganic Chemistry, 81, 211-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioorg.2018.08.018

Broersen, K., Ruipérez, V., & Davletov, B. (2018). Structural and aggregation properties of Alpha-Synuclein linked to phospholipase A2 action. Protein and Peptide Letters, 25(4), 368-378. https://doi.org/10.2174/0929866525666180326120052

See all research output of this employee

- Biochemistry for first year BSc Biomedical Technology

- Biochemistry for third year BSc Chemical Technology

- Biochemistry and Chemistry of the Biological Cell for ATLAS students

- Module coordinator of Molecular Construction of the Human Body

Bachelor

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.