Ede and Enschede, The Netherlands, November 27, 2025

What was once a saying – “You are what you eat” – is now being proven in the lab. Enabled by a groundbreaking collaboration, NIZO food research and the University of Twente can now demonstrate how food influences brain health using joint innovations, including the University of Twente’s Gut-Brain Axis on Chip. This scientifically robust model offers unprecedented insights into how specific dietary components and ingredients affect brain function. Thanks to their strategic partnership, it is now accessible to food and health companies seeking to translate science into smarter nutrition solutions.

“You are what you eat” and the gap to be filled

Once a philosophical idea, this saying now carries new scientific weight. Research increasingly shows that nutrition influences brain health, from the developing brains of infants to the aging minds of older adults. Much of this influence is mediated through the gut and its microbiota, the community of microorganisms that interact with food components and communicate with the brain via biochemical and neurological pathways, the gut-brain axis. Yet, despite its growing recognition, the precise mechanisms behind how diet affects brain function have remained largely unclear, leaving a gap in scientific understanding and evidence.

With these joint innovations, food and pharmaceuticals companies no longer have to rely on educated guesses. Instead, they can base early development decisions on concrete scientific and human-relevant data to develop products that truly support brain health.

Mapping the journey of food from gut to brain

Foods undergo extensive changes as they move through the human body: from digestion in the gastrointestinal tract to interactions with the microbiota and absorption into the bloodstream. By the time nutrients reach the brain, they are often modified by processing conditions, the food matrix, or their composition. Understanding these transformations is critical for predicting how dietary components influence brain function.

Through their combined expertise and the use of the Gut-Brain Axis on Chip, researchers from NIZO and the University of Twente can now map the route of food ingredients all the way from the mouth to the brain.

The Gut-Brain Axis on Chip uses advanced organ-on-chip technology to replicate the physical and biochemical connections between the gut and the brain, including vagus nerve-mediated signaling. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are differentiated into intestinal and brain tissues, which are then spatially organized in microfluidic devices to closely mimic human physiology, including a vagal nerve connection generated from differentiated stem cells.

This system allows researchers to monitor critical brain processes, including myelination, neurogenesis, and synaptic pruning, as measures of cognition and learning. Custom-designed microfluidic chips precisely control the tissues’ microenvironment, enabling the direct assessment of how nutrients and food ingredients influence brain function. Techniques such as mRNA profiling and protein analysis provide measurable evidence of dietary impacts on cognition, memory, and neural development.

The technology, the strategic partner, the potential

To fully realize the commercial potential of the Gut-Brain Axis on Chip, it requires a partner with the right combination of expertise, infrastructure, and practical applicability. With over 75 years of experience in food and health innovation, NIZO is uniquely positioned to apply and distribute this technology in projects with food, health and pharmaceutical companies.

To mark this milestone, NIZO will showcase the technology at Food Ingredients Europe 2025. It has also been nominated as one of the finalists in the Health Innovation Award 2025, a timely recognition of the technology’s relevance and impact. The finals are taking place on December 2^nd  in Paris.

“The Gut-Brain Axis on Chip marks a turning point in how we understand the relationship between nutrition and brain health. For the first time, we can physically observe how food-derived components influence cognitive development and aging. This breakthrough aligns perfectly with NIZO’s mission: transforming cutting-edge science into practical solutions that help companies create better and healthier products for consumers worldwide.”
— Nikolaas Vles, CEO of NIZO

NIZO integrates the University of Twente Gut-Brain Axis on Chip with its in vitro platforms to create a seamless, successive pipeline that mimics the journey of food and pharmaceutical components from the gut to the brain. By combining NIZO’s advanced analytics, upper gastrointestinal tract models, and microbiome expertise with the chip’s applicable read-outs, this integrated approach enables precise assessment of nutrient- and gut-derived compounds on brain function. The result is a powerful end-to-end system that enables more accurate prediction on how ingested foods influence brain health.

Early validation studies have already demonstrated the model’s ability to detect brain-related effects from a first set of nutritional ingredients. These initial findings confirm that the Gut-Brain Axis on Chip is sensitive enough to capture meaningful biological responses, offering companies an early, reliable way to identify promising ingredients before committing to human or animal studies.

The technology also unlocks powerful new opportunities for breakthroughs in functional foods, nutritional therapies and pharmaceuticals. By enabling targeted modulation of cognition, brain aging and early-life brain development, it provides a transformative foundation for next-generation products and a step-change in public health and food innovation.

“Being able to map the route of food to the brain represents five years of exceptional teamwork between our scientists and NIZO’s experts. Together, we have built a scientifically rigorous, animal-free platform that makes the gut–brain connection measurable and actionable. By joining forces with NIZO’s extensive industry network and innovation capabilities, we are ensuring this technology can accelerate the development of next-generation nutrition and health products.”

– Prof. Dr. Kerensa Broersen, Full professor at the University of Twente and Senior Scientist of Health and Digestion at NIZO

About NIZO Food Research

NIZO is a globally leading, private, and independent contract research organization specializing in food and health innovation for over 75 years. Operating the largest open access food-grade pilot plant in Europe, we leverage the integrated power of science and technology to help our customers in transforming food and nutrition more successfully, sustainably and faster; ultimately leading to better food and health. More information: www.nizo.com.   

About the University of Twente

Since its founding in 1961, the University of Twente has been a pioneer in combining technology, science, and engineering with the social sciences to create meaningful impact. Our research and education is aimed at making a difference in today’s society, while setting up the next generation for the future. In this pursuit, the entrepreneurial mind-set and global awareness of our many talented scientists, educators and students lead us to move beyond differences, disciplines, borders. The cross-disciplinary way of working that characterizes our university opens up unexpected possibilities – especially in combination with creativity and excellence in scientific disciplines. Our distinctive educational model, engineering approach and open culture generate new ideas, new energy, new ways forward. More information: https://www.utwente.nl/en/