Prof. dr. Siska Croubels

Prof. dr. Siska Croubels graduated as a pharmacist in 1992 with great honors (Ghent University). After obtaining her PhD in 1997 in the field of bio-analysis of veterinary drugs in animals (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UGent), she started her post-doc research at the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UGent). In 2004, she was appointed as assistant professor of veterinary toxicology at the same faculty. Since 2014, she is full professor and currently director of the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Prof. Croubels takes up several institutional responsibilities, as chair of the faculty commission ‘Doctorates’, as member of the faculty Committee for Scientific Research, faculty board member, associate member of the European College of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology (ECVPT), external expert for the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FAVV), Belgian Superior Health Council and Belgian Centre for Pharmacotherapeutic Information (BCFI), and as editorial board member for Mycotoxin Research.

Main Research

The main research mission of the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology (Prof. dr. S. Croubels, Prof. dr. M. Devreese) consists of generating and communicating insights in in vivo ADME processes (absorption, distribution, metabolisation and excretion) and PK/PD modeling of human and veterinary drugs and (myco)toxins in a variety of animal species. The Laboratory is OECD GLP compliant for the conduct of in vivo ADME trials, PK modeling, bioavailability and bioequivalence studies, residues and withdrawal time determination and bio-analysis of human and veterinary drugs (The Belgian GLP compliance monitoring authority (wiv-isp.be)). The Laboratory has over 25 years of experience in the development of analytical methodologies for the detection and quantification of small organic molecules (drugs, mycotoxins, endogenous compounds, and their metabolites) in different biological samples such as plasma and tissues as well as animal feed, using UHPLC-MS/MS and UHPLC-HR-MS, and in PK or TK modeling of these compounds. The Laboratory has 4 state-of-the-art UHPLC-MS/MS instruments, 1 UHPLC-UV instrument and access to several UHPLC-HR-MS instruments. The laboratory expanded its expertise to the ultrasensitive quantification in microsamples and MS imaging of small molecules in biological matrices, and is member of the MSsmall Expertise Centre — Ghent University (ugent.be).

Research goals veterinary toxicology

The research within the veterinary toxicology group is related to the mycotoxin problem in animals. More specifically, bioanalytical method development for quantification in animal matrices; the toxicity, toxicokinetics and residues of (emerging) mycotoxins in animals including conventional pigs as surrogate large animal model for humans; the development of suitable biomarkers for mycotoxin exposure in animals, innovative in vivo models for the efficacy and safety testing of mycotoxin mitigation strategies, novel insights on the impact of mycotoxins on gut health, and on the interactions of mycotoxins with the pathogenesis of infectious diseases in animals. The laboratory is also a member of the interdisciplinary research platforms Mytox – Mycotoxins and Toxigenic Moulds | UGENT and Mytox-South (mytoxsouth.org), the latter in collaboration with African institutes.

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