Ellen Vercalsteren
About me
I am a postdoctoral researcher in the NeuroCardiometabol group. The focus of my research lies on the neurological problems connected with diabetes, specifically about stroke. Diabetes not only doubles stroke risk, it also significantly impairs stroke outcome and currently there are no treatments available. Both diabetes and stroke prevalence will only increase further and considering the strong connection between both pathologies, I believe there is a dire need for an interdisciplinary approach to solve this important clinical problem. Currently, our group is using a pre-clinical model to investigate to identify how diabetes impairs stroke outcome and to find effective therapeutic strategies to improve outcome after stroke in diabetes.
Research highlights:
- We have shown that a pre-stroke diet-induced weight loss improve post-stroke recovery in diabetic mice, only if diabetic features (hyperglycemia and insulin resistance) are completely normalized prior to stroke (PMID:
- 34937562).
- Pre-stroke insulin resistance, even without concomitant obesity and hyperglycemia, impairs stroke outcome, an effect that can be reverted by a pre-stroke normalization of IR (PMID:
- 36835405).
- Diabetes impairs efficient brain vascularization, a mechanism that is pivotal for efficient stroke recovery (PMID:
- 36448982). This impairment can be counteracted by anti-diabetic drugs.
- an intervention with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), initiated 3 days after stroke, efficiently improves stroke outcome in diabetic mice (PMID:
- 38558509).
2021 – present: postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Clinical Science and Education (KI-SÖS), Södersjukhuset
2020: PhD in Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
2016: Master in Biomedical Sciences KU Leuven, Belgium
2014: Bachelor in Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
Articles
- Article: BIOSCIENCE REPORTS. 2024;44(7):BSR20240249
- Article: CARDIOVASCULAR DIABETOLOGY. 2024;23(1):88
- Article: DIABETES. 2023;72(3):405-414
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES. 2023;24(4):3989
- Article: CARDIOVASCULAR DIABETOLOGY. 2021;20(1):240
All other publications
- Editorial comment: DIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM. 2024;26(7):2527-2530
- Conference publication: EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY JOURNAL. 2023;62:pa664
Grants
- The prevention of obesity and diabetes by dietary nitrate: a novel strategy to improve stroke recoveryUlla Hamberg Angeby and Lennart Angeby Foundation 20231 January 2024 - 31 December 2025
- The pre-stroke targeting of obesity in diabetes: a novel approach to improve stroke recoverySwedish Stroke Foundation1 January 2024 - 31 December 2025
- The treatment of insulin resistance to improve stroke recovery in pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetesFoundation for Geriatric diseases at Karolinska Institutet 20221 January 2023 - 31 December 2023
- Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2-Inhibitors to Improve Recovery after Stroke in DiabetesUlla Hamberg Angeby and Lennart Angeby Foundation 20221 January 2023 - 31 December 2024
- Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2-Inhibitors to Improve Post-Stroke Recovery in DiabetesSwedish Stroke Association1 January 2023 - 31 December 2024
Employments
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2025
Visiting research fellowships
- postdoctoral fellow (Stipendium) at the Department of Clinical Science and Education (NeuroCardioMetabol group), Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institute, 2021-2023