Valerie Verhasselt

1. van den Elsen LWJ, Garssen J, Burcelin R, Verhasselt V. Shaping the Gut Microbiota by Breastfeeding: The Gateway to Allergy Prevention? Front Pediatr. 2019;7:47.
2. van den Elsen LWJ, Verhasselt V. Human Milk Drives the Intimate Interplay Between Gut Immunity and Adipose Tissue for Healthy Growth. Frontiers in immunology. 2021;12:645415.
3. Verhasselt V, Milcent V, Cazareth J, Kanda A, Fleury S, Dombrowicz D, et al. Breast milk-mediated transfer of an antigen induces tolerance and protection from allergic asthma. Nature medicine. 2008;14(2):170-5.
4. Verhasselt V, Genuneit J, Metcalfe JR, Tulic MK, Rekima A, Palmer DJ, et al. Ovalbumin in breastmilk is associated with a decreased risk of IgE-mediated egg allergy in children. Allergy. 2020;75(6):1463-6.
5. Turfkruyer M, Rekima A, Macchiaverni P, Le Bourhis L, Muncan V, van den Brink GR, et al. Oral tolerance is inefficient in neonatal mice due to a physiological vitamin A deficiency. Mucosal immunology. 2016;9(2):479-91.
6. Rekima A, Macchiaverni P, Turfkruyer M, Holvoet S, Dupuis L, Baiz N, et al. Long term reduction in food allergy susceptibility in mice by combining breastfeeding-induced tolerance and TGF-beta enriched formula after weaning. Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2016.
7. Mosconi E, Rekima A, Seitz-Polski B, Kanda A, Fleury S, Tissandie E, et al. Breast milk immune complexes are potent inducers of oral tolerance in neonates and prevent asthma development. Mucosal immunology. 2010;3(5):461-74.
8. Adel-Patient K, Bernard H, Fenaille F, Hazebrouck S, Junot C, Verhasselt V. Prevention of Allergy to a Major Cow's Milk Allergen by Breastfeeding in Mice Depends on Maternal Immune Status and Oral Exposure During Lactation. Frontiers in immunology. 2020;11:1545.
9. Macchiaverni P, Rekima A, Turfkruyer M, Mascarell L, Airouche S, Moingeon P, et al. Respiratory allergen from house dust mite is present in human milk and primes for allergic sensitization in a mouse model of asthma. Allergy. 2014;69(3):395-8.
10. Baiz N, Macchiaverni P, Tulic MK, Rekima A, Annesi-Maesano I, Verhasselt V, et al. Early oral exposure to house dust mite allergen through breast milk: A potential risk factor for allergic sensitization and respiratory allergies in children. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. 2017;139(1):369-72 e10.
11. Rekima A, Bonnart C, Macchiaverni P, Metcalfe J, Tulic MK, Halloin N, et al. A role for early oral exposure to house dust mite allergens through breast milk in IgE-mediated food allergy susceptibility. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. 2020.
12. Macchiaverni P, Rekima A, van den Elsen L, Renz H, Verhasselt V. Allergen shedding in human milk: Could it be key for immune system education and allergy prevention? The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. 2021;148(3):679-88.
13. van den Elsen LWJ, Verhasselt V, Egwang T. Malaria Antigen Shedding in the Breast Milk of Mothers From a Region With Endemic Malaria. JAMA Pediatr. 2020.
14. Marchant A, Sadarangani M, Garand M, Dauby N, Verhasselt V, Pereira L, et al. Maternal immunisation: collaborating with mother nature. The Lancet Infectious diseases. 2017.
15. Tulic MK, Vivinus-Nebot M, Rekima A, Rabelo Medeiros S, Bonnart C, Shi H, et al. Presence of commensal house dust mite allergen in human gastrointestinal tract: a potential contributor to intestinal barrier dysfunction. Gut. 2016;65(5):757-66.   

• Medical Doctor, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Belgium), 1992; each year summa cum laude and ranked first
• Specialist in Internal Medicine, ULB, 2000. summa cum laude
• PhD in Immunology, ULB, 1999. summa cum laude

• French Academy of Medicine 2012
• French Academy of Sciences 2008

Professor Valerie Verhasselt is part of a worldwide network of chairs dedicated to improving health through breastfeeding (Larsson Rosenquist research Centres).

This network includes Pediatrician specialized in neurodevelopment (Dr Natalucci Giancarlo, Zurich University, Switzerland); health economists (Dr David Yanagizawa-Drott , Zurich University, Switzerland); Epidemiologists of early nutrition ( Dr Lynn Yuan Children’s Hospital of Fudan University and Dr Xiang LI Tongji University , China); Expert in the endocrinology of Breastfeeding ( A/ Prof Fadil Hannan, Oxford University) and Biochemistry of Breast milk ( Prof Lars Bode, University of San Diego).

In addition to this, Professor Verhasselt has multiple collaborators including:

• Epidemiologists of early nutrition: Jon Genuneit (Leipzig University, Germany); Alet Wijga and Ulrike Gehring, (The Netherlands);
• System Biology: David Lynn (Adelaide University, Australia)
  Infectious disease: Thomas Egwang (Kampala, Uganda); Tobias Kollmann (Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Australia)
• Microbiology: Claus Christopherson (Curtin University, Perth, Australia)
• Pediatricians including Prof Suzan Prescott (School of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia), A/Prof Mehta Shailander (Fiona Hospital, Perth, Australia), Prof George du Toit (Kings College London, UK), Dr Stéphanie De Smet (Hopital de l’Archet, France),
• Dietician expert in child nutrition: A/Prof Carina Venter (University of Colorado, USA); Dr Debbie Palmer (Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Australia); Dr Therese O Sullivan (Edith Cowan University, Perth)