Marca Wauben
Professor of Intercellular Communication, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, Netherlands
Marca Wauben is Full Professor Cell Biology (Chair: Intercellular Communication) at the Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty Veterinary medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. She is a pioneer in EV research and an expert in deciphering the role of nano-sized cell-derived vesicles (EVs) in intercellular communication in biological systems with emphasis on immunomodulation. Her research group has unveiled novel aspects in EV biogenesis, regulation of EV release, specific targeting, and cargo incorporation (including RNA, proteins, metabolites and lipids). By combining multi-omics with functional cellular modulation, the concept of EV-mediated modulation via the convergence of different EV-cargoes on nodes of regulation in cellular signal transduction pathways has been postulated. Milk-EV oriented research led to the development of tailored protocols for milk storage and milk EV isolation. Furthermore, integrated multi-omics and functional analysis of milk EV-mediated effects on T cells and epithelial cells, unveiled EV-cargo-function relationships and cross-species communication. Besides investigating fundamental immunological and regenerative aspects of EV-mediated communication, her research group works on EV-based biomarker discovery, (therapeutic) EV applications and the development of (nano)technology to analyze EVs, e.g. the pioneering work on high resolution flow cytometry-based technologies enabling single EV-based analysis and sorting.
Wauben is author of > n=150 peer reviewed scientific publications on EVs and (Co-)recipient of multiple EV-based consortium research grants, e.g. FP7 EU COST Action Microvesicles and Exosomes in Health and Disease (2012, vice-chair), H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 TRAIN-EV research & training Network (722148) (2017) and H2020-FETOPEN The EV Foundry (801367)(2018). She has been/and is involved in many national and global initiatives to build a scientific community centered around EV-biology; e.g. the founding of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV), the scientific journal “Journal of Extracellular Vesicles”, the founding of the ISEV-ISAC-ISTH EV flowcytometry working group (www.evflowcytometry.org) and the founding of the Netherlands Society for Extracellular Vesicles (NLSEV) in 2018 (founding President). She is co-chair of the ISEV Milk EV Task Force and member of ISEV Regulatory affairs & clinical use of EV-based therapeutics Task Force. In 2019 she was awarded the ISEV special Achievement Award and in 2020 the ISEV life-time membership Award.
Wauben is author of > n=150 peer reviewed scientific publications on EVs and (Co-)recipient of multiple EV-based consortium research grants, e.g. FP7 EU COST Action Microvesicles and Exosomes in Health and Disease (2012, vice-chair), H2020-MSCA-ITN-2016 TRAIN-EV research & training Network (722148) (2017) and H2020-FETOPEN The EV Foundry (801367)(2018). She has been/and is involved in many national and global initiatives to build a scientific community centered around EV-biology; e.g. the founding of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV), the scientific journal “Journal of Extracellular Vesicles”, the founding of the ISEV-ISAC-ISTH EV flowcytometry working group (www.evflowcytometry.org) and the founding of the Netherlands Society for Extracellular Vesicles (NLSEV) in 2018 (founding President). She is co-chair of the ISEV Milk EV Task Force and member of ISEV Regulatory affairs & clinical use of EV-based therapeutics Task Force. In 2019 she was awarded the ISEV special Achievement Award and in 2020 the ISEV life-time membership Award.
