Dr. Maria Marioli

Maria Marioli is a Principal Scientist and Group Lead in Nanomedicine at Ardena. With over 15 years of experience in analytical chemistry and pharmaceutical development, Maria specializes in the characterization of complex drug products, including nanoparticles and microparticles. 

Her expertise spans advanced liquid-phase separation techniques, building on her foundational research in field-flow fractionation, and the development of robust analytical methodologies essential for drug product development.

Throughout her career, Maria has held key scientific roles at Roche and Teva Pharmaceuticals before joining Ardena, where she now leads research efforts in nanomedicine. 

Maria holds a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Amsterdam and continues to drive innovation in the field, with recent work focusing on advancements in AF4-DLS detection for pharmaceutical applications.

Dr. Mark van Eldijk

Mark van Eldijk is Business Unit Director of Nanomedicines at Ardena. He combines scientific expertise in nanomedicine development and nanoparticle technologies with experience in strategic leadership, business development, and pharmaceutical CMC.

Mark joined Ardena in 2016 as a Scientist and Project Leader before transitioning into business development and later into his current leadership role. At Ardena, he leads multidisciplinary teams focused on the development and manufacture of innovative nanomedicine products, including lipid-based, polymeric, and metal-based nanoparticles carrying a broad range of therapeutic payloads such as cytotoxics, oligonucleotides, mRNA, peptides, and proteins. His expertise includes nanomedicine development, polymer chemistry, nanoparticle characterization, customer relationship management, and pharmaceutical development strategy.

Mark obtained his PhD in Bio-organic Chemistry from Radboud University Nijmegen, where his research focused on the design and preparation of biopolymer-based nanoparticles. He subsequently worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the California Institute of Technology and has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Rob van der Weegen

Rob van der Weegen is Principal Scientist and Group Lead at Ardena. He specializes in GMP-compliant process development and scale-up of complex nanoscale therapeutic modalities supporting clinical studies and future commercial manufacturing.

Rob joined Ardena in 2018 as a Process Development Scientist in the field of Nanomedicines. Since then, he has focused on supporting process development and manufacturing scale-up activities for advanced therapeutic programs within GMP-regulated environments. Prior to joining Ardena, he completed a two-year postdoctoral position in Paris specializing in polymer and materials sciences.

Rob obtained his PhD in Supramolecular Chemistry from Eindhoven University of Technology in 2015.

Moniek van der Eem

Moniek van der Eem is Director Analytical Sciences at Ardena. She is an experienced analytical chemist with more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in CMC development and analytical strategies supporting drug development programs.

Throughout her career, Moniek has led analytical and quality strategies across complex pharmaceutical projects, supporting the advancement of development programs from early stages into the clinic. She has extensive experience delivering robust analytical data packages and supporting regulatory readiness across development activities.

Moniek is recognized for her expertise in analytical sciences and her focus on supporting efficient and compliant pharmaceutical development programs.

Sjoerd Rijpkema

Sjoerd Rijpkema is Senior Scientist and Group Lead at Ardena. He specializes in polymer chemistry and NMR, supporting R&D activities and customer projects within pharmaceutical development programs.

Before joining Ardena, Sjoerd worked as a university lecturer, teaching polymer chemistry and NMR. Since joining Ardena, he first worked in laboratory-based roles before progressing into his current position as Group Lead in R&D, where he supports customer projects and team coordination activities. In addition to his work at Ardena, he is a columnist for the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society (KNCV) and is involved in the organization committee for the Future Leaders in Chemistry conference.

Sjoerd studied Chemistry in Nijmegen, where he completed a Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry and NMR, followed by a PhD in Systems Chemistry.

Marco Jaspers

Marco Jaspers is Principal Scientist and Senior Project Manager at Ardena. He brings more than 20 years of experience across the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry, specializing in leading complex multidisciplinary projects.

Throughout his career, Marco has focused on supporting project teams and clients in delivering successful development outcomes across pharmaceutical programs. He is recognized for his results-driven mindset, pragmatic approach, and empathetic leadership style, supporting collaboration across cross-functional project environments.

At Ardena, Marco works closely with project teams to help accelerate development programs and support the successful progression of products toward market readiness.

Silvie Meeuwissen

Silvie Meeuwissen is Director Process R&D and Manufacturing Nanomedicines at Ardena Oss. She specializes in nanomedicine process development and pharmaceutical manufacturing, supporting the development of innovative precision medicine-based therapies.

Since joining Ardena in 2013, Silvie has played a key role in the establishment and growth of Ardena’s nanomedicine services. In 2023, she became Director Process R&D and Manufacturing Nanomedicines, leading the department’s efforts in process development and manufacturing activities supporting advanced therapeutic programs.

Silvie studied Organic Chemistry and obtained her PhD in Bio-organic Chemistry from Radboud University.

Ardena Oss

About This Facility

Welcome to Ardena Oss

Ardena operates two facilities in Oss, Netherlands. Our Pivot Park site covers drug substance development and manufacturing, solid state research, and bioanalysis. Our Kantsingel site is a purpose-built 2,200 m² nanomedicine facility, constructed to GMP Annex 1 standards with advanced cleanrooms, integrated development and analytical labs, and dedicated warehousing. Two sites, one integrated team — combining the scientific depth your molecule needs across chemistry, solid state, bioanalysis, and nanomedicine under one coordinated program.

Facility Details

Address

Kantsingel 32 5349 AJ Oss, Netherlands +31 412 846 024 Kloosterstraat 9 5349 AB Oss Netherlands +31 412 226 010

Employees

160+ team members

Certifications

GMP Annex 1 certified ISO 14644 cleanroom standards IGJ inspected HPAPI handling certified

Ariane De Ganck, PhD

Since 2019, Ariane has overseen Ardena’s drug product activities, spearheading successful integration and transformation at Ardena Pamplona and expanding the company’s capabilities to include sterile services.

With over a decade of senior management experience in CRO/CDMO sectors, Ariane excels in leading multidisciplinary teams and is dedicated to team development, fostering networks, and maintaining a customer-centric approach. Her leadership has also been instrumental in driving business development initiatives.

Prior to joining Ardena, Ariane made significant contributions to the growth of Biogazelle, a specialized CRO in RNA and DNA biomarker services.

Ariane holds a PhD in biomedical sciences, focusing on proteins and oncology