Dr Ir Michiel Adriaens, Ph.D. (M.E.)
Michiel Adriaens is an Assistant Professor at the Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology and Bioinformatics. Trained as a bioinformatician, he is specialized in regulatory genomics and multi-omics studies in human nutrition and cardiometabolic diseases. In his work, he combines data-driven (AI) and knowledge-driven modeling approaches to unravel the molecular complexities of biological processes.
His primary focus is on developing personalized metabolic models of the heart to predict and understand metabolic impairments in cardiomyopathy patients. These impairments can exhaust the heart, leading to severe complications. His goal is to develop the systems biology tools to detect these metabolic problems early and provide targets for prevention and patient-specific recovery.
In the field of precision nutrition, he has contributed to the development of computational methods that facilitate the creation of targeted interventions and the study of their impacts. In the PERSON study, these interventions were designed to address tissue-specific insulin resistance in overweight or obese adults. His involvement in the recent PRECINUT study extends this work, using machine learning to tailor dietary recommendations, monitored through wearables and food diaries in apps.
His ambition is to leverage his expertise and innovative tools in digital twinning applications, to revolutionize the understanding and management of complex health conditions.
Expertises
- Regulatory genomics
- Metabolic modeling
- Multi-omics
- Machine learning
- The statistical programming language R
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4472-7119
Google Scholar: https://goo.gl/Z6uO12
Loopbaan
After receiving my Master’s degree in Biomodeling & Bioinformatics from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e, department of Biomedical Engineering) in 2008, I started my academic career at the Department of Bioinformatics (BiGCaT) as a PhD student under guidance of Prof. Chris Evelo, supported by a Koostra Talent Fellowship. Focusing on developing tools for integrative analysis of DNA-methylation, ChIP-seq and transcriptomics data, I collaborated with the labs of Dr. Willem Voncken (GROW) and Prof. Brad Wouters (MAASTRO; Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Canada) in the context of tumor biology, and with the lab of Prof. John Mathers (University of Newcastle) on studying the impact of maternal folate depletion on epigenetic marking and transcriptional regulation in offspring. I received my PhD in 2012 and moved to Amsterdam to work as a postdoc researcher in the lab of Prof. Connie Bezzina, at the Department of Experimental Cardiology of the AMC. As a biostatistician, I worked on multiple systems genetics studies on cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure, studying the genetic regulation of gene transcription and splicing in the diseased and non-diseased heart. In June 2015 I continued my research at the Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology (MaCSBio), where I became a tenured assistant professor in September 2016.