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Luxembourg Institute of Health

Luxembourg, Partner
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The Human Biomonitoring Research Unit (HBRU) is a research group within the Department of Precision Health at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), focused on developing biomarkers to identify human exposure to pollutants, assess exposure intensities, and enhance understanding of the relationships between exposure and biological outcomes.

HBRU investigates how pollutants incorporate into biological matrices to understand exposure and chemical concentrations in humans.

It analyses specimens from human volunteers and animal models to study exposure-related disorders. Developed biomarkers are used in epidemiological studies to establish reference levels in the general population, identify highly exposed groups, and enhance understanding of the role of exposure in disease aetiology.

The team’s primary focus in the ExpoSignalz project is to characterise cohort participants’ chemical signatures by analysing hair samples using targeted multi-residue methodologies. In addition, LIH will also provide their expertise in interpreting these chemical signatures, including identifying their potential sources and evaluating their impact on participants’ neurological health.

Key People

Dr Brice Appenzeller

Associate Professor

Dr Brice Appenzeller

Associate Professor

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Brice is the head and founder of the Human Biomonitoring Research Unit (HBRU)-Luxembourg Institute of Health since 2008. He obtained his PhD from the University of Nancy (France, 2002), and is an Associate Professor at the University of Luxembourg.

His research focuses on the study of the chemical exposome in human populations, the identification of determinants of exposure, and its consequences on human health. He investigates the mechanisms of incorporation of chemicals in hair, and uses this matrix to investigate hormonal disruption.

He is an expert member of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), and the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT), where he has been a board member since 2012 and vice-president since 2023.

Dr Alba Iglesias González

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr Alba Iglesias González

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Alba has been a Postdoctoral Fellow at HBRU since 2022. She obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Biology from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain, 2012), followed by a second master’s in Environmental Ecology from the Vrije Universiteit of Brussels (2016). She obtained her PhD in Biology in 2022 from the University of Luxembourg, working at the HBRU-LIH.

Her research focuses on characterising the human chemical exposome, with an emphasis on children’s populations, by means of multi-residue analytical methods based on hair analysis. She investigates the exposure to persistent and non-persistent chemical pollutants, identifying possible determinants of these exposures and their impact on human health.

Linda Macheka

Postdoctoral Fellow

Linda Macheka

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Linda joined the Human Biomonitoring Research Unit (HBRU) at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2022. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Midlands State University (Zimbabwe), followed by a master’s degree and PhD in Biology from the Medical University of South Africa (now Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University), South Africa.

Her research focuses on characterising the human chemical exposome through multi-matrix biomonitoring approaches, with particular emphasis on hair and urine analysis as non-invasive exposure assessment tools. She investigates exposure to persistent and non-persistent chemical pollutants in children’s populations, examining their effects on neurodevelopment and exploring how different biological matrices complement one another in biomonitoring studies. Her research extends to adult populations, where she examines how physiological and lifestyle factors, including body composition and surgical interventions, influence individual chemical body burden and hormonal profiles, and how these change over the course of recovery.