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Nico van den Brink appointed Chair of Toxicology
The Executive Board of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has appointed Nico van den Brink as Chair of the Toxicology Group, effective 1 February. In his new role, Van den Brink aims to further integrate research into the effects of chemicals on humans, animals, and the environment.
Van den Brink studies how human-made chemicals, such as pesticides, influence the behaviour and immune systems of wild animals, focusing primarily on birds and small mammals like mice. He also develops tests to analyse whether (new) chemical substances pose environmental risks. His colleagues examine the impact of those chemicals on humans. “What makes our group unique is that we focus on both humans and the environment. That is our strength,” Van den Brink explains. As chair, he seeks to connect these two aspects as much as possible through the OneHealth approach.
What makes our group unique is that we focus on both humans and the environment. That is our strength.
Similar toxic mechanisms
“We study the effects of chemicals at the molecular biochemical level,” says Van den Brink. “At that level, humans and animals are not so different.” This creates opportunities to apply knowledge from birds and mammals to humans, and vice versa. Van den Brink mentions animal behaviour as example: “Behavioural experiments are easier to conduct on animals than on humans, allowing us to investigate the mechanistic relationships between chemicals and behaviour.” This approach reveals exactly what happens inside an animal and which processes are involved. In some cases, these mechanisms function similarly in humans. “That makes this type of research highly relevant to human health as well,” he adds.
While scientists have already developed a range of animal-free, cell-based tests to measure the effects of chemicals on human health, there are only few available for the environment. Toxicologists at WUR are therefore developing new tests specifically for wild animals. One screening method, for instance, measures whether a substance disrupts the moulting process in insects. “Moulting is a crucial insect trait essential for growth,” Van den Brink explains. “If insects cannot moult, they become deformed or die.” He works closely with companies to ensure they can assess potential environmental effects of substances early in the development process.
Even in animals that had probably never encountered a human before, we found the human-made substance polychlorinated biphenyl. That was an eye-opener.
Penguins
Van den Brink also wants to apply the OneHealth approach in education. Currently, courses on environmental toxicology primarily focus on the impact on animals. However, he believes that human health should be included as well. “Take PFAS, for example. These substances end up in soil and groundwater, affecting the environment, but that same water is used to irrigate our crops.” In practice, these systems are not separate, and he wants students to understand this connection.
Van den Brink himself learned this early in his career. During his PhD research, he travelled to Antarctica three times to study pollution in penguins and other seabirds, discovering that human-made substances reach even the most remote corners of the world. “Even in such an isolated place, in animals that had probably never encountered a human before, we found human-made toxic substances, including DDT. It was an eye-opener. That experience became my motivation to gain a better understanding of the real environmental risks of chemicals,” says Van den Brink.
CV Nico van den Brink
Nico van den Brink studied biology at the former Agricultural University (now Wageningen University & Research), specialising in aquatic ecology. He obtained his PhD in Groningen under the supervision of Wim Wolff and Jan Andries van Franeker. He then became a researcher at the Institute for Forestry and Nature Research (later Alterra, now Wageningen Environmental Research at WUR). In 2014, he joined the Toxicology Group to lead the Environmental Toxicology team. In 2023, Van den Brink was appointed Personal Professor of Environmental Toxicology within the Toxicology Group. As of February this year, he has taken on the role of Chair of the group.