Meet our young researchers: Spotlight on Yu-Hsin Chang (CNR, Italy)
NutriEV Blog Series – Meet Our Young Researchers
When Yu-Hsin Chang joined the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) in Naples in 2024, she stepped into a project that perfectly matched her scientific curiosity, one that blends plant biology, nanotechnology, nutrition, and European cooperation. Today, she is one of the young researchers driving NutriEV’s ambitious mission to understand how nutrient-derived extracellular vesicles (nutriEVs) from plants may shape future superfoods, biosensors, and therapeutic strategies against metabolic disorders.
But her journey into the field of extracellular vesicles began only recently.
“I joined CNR in 2024 and was invited by Dr. Gabriella Pocsfalvi to take part in NutriEV. What attracted me was the project’s multidisciplinary scope, linking EV research, nutrition, and sustainable agriculture in a European collaboration.”
From functional materials to nutritional vesicles
Yu-Hsin first trained in Functional Materials at Philipps-Universität Marburg, where she gained experience synthesising nanoparticles. That background now underpins her precision-driven work on EV isolation. At CNR’s Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, she is responsible for one of the earliest and most crucial steps in the NutriEV workflow: producing high-quality plant-derived vesicles that other partners rely on for molecular profiling, antibody development, and biological testing.
“I’m responsible for isolating and purifying vesicles from plant cultures using µPulse® TFF. I also characterize their size and concentration using Videodrop and contribute data to support downstream applications, such as antibody development.”
This work relies on state-of-the-art technologies, especially Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) and Videodrop interferometric quantification to ensure vesicle samples are reproducible, scalable, and ready for comparison across partners and work packages.
Unlocking new technological possibilities
While she joined NutriEV with strong technical foundations, the project has already expanded the way she approaches scientific questions.
“What’s been most striking is the dynamic interaction between partners and the technical depth of the project. Each experiment reveals new layers of complexity—extending beyond isolation to questions of stability, biomarkers, and loading capacity. It’s an exciting challenge that constantly pushes the boundaries of what we understand about plant-derived EVs.”
Her work contributes directly to one of NutriEV’s breakthrough ambitions: creating a reliable platform that allows plant EVs to be explored not just as nutritional components, but as vehicles for bioactive molecules, biomarkers, and precision nutrition tools.
“By optimizing scalable purification protocols for EVs, I contribute to building a reliable platform that supports further studies on EV content, stability, and bioactivity. This is crucial for their potential inclusion in functional foods or health-promoting formulations.”
A growing collaborative network
Collaboration is central to NutriEV, and Yu-Hsin highlights how inter-laboratory exchanges strengthen the scientific output. One example was the visit from the TU Braunschweig team, whose antibody engineering expertise feeds into NutriEV’s biochemical tool development.
“The visit by the TU Braunschweig team allowed us to demonstrate our full isolation and quantification workflow, and receive valuable feedback about how our EV preparations fit into their antibody screening pipeline. It was helpful to align on biomarker priorities and gain insight into the requirements for successful phage display strategies.”
This kind of cross-partner interaction ensures that every EV sample produced at CNR fits seamlessly into the broader NutriEV pipeline from glycan profiling to organoid modelling to immunological studies.
Looking to the future of plant EV innovation
Even as she focuses on today’s challenges, Yu-Hsin’s attention is already on the next horizon of vesicle engineering.
“I’m excited to explore cargo-loading techniques and improve targeted delivery using plant EVs. There’s still a lot of potential to unlock, particularly in functional molecule delivery.”
This vision aligns closely with NutriEV’s goal of demonstrating how dietary vesicles could become tools for precision diagnostics, non-invasive health monitoring, and potentially therapeutic innovations.
Yu-Hsin also reflects on the value of collective effort:
“I’d like to thank my colleagues at CNR and our international collaborators for their support in experimental design and data interpretation. Their feedback has been crucial in refining my work.”
Hopes for NutriEV’s impact
Ultimately, she sees NutriEV not just as a scientific project, but as a stepping stone toward new forms of sustainable, health-focused innovation.
“I hope the NutriEV project will pave the way for practical applications of plant EVs in consumer health, particularly in developing eco-friendly nutraceuticals and biostimulants. I’m excited about the potential to see our research translated into real-world impact.”
Her words capture the spirit of NutriEV’s young researchers: curious, collaborative, and determined to connect fundamental science with societal benefit.