Ilona Legroux obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Life and Health Sciences and a Master’s degree in Pathophysiology and Pharmacology from Université Côte d’Azur in Nice, France. Her interest in metabolism and nutrition led her to join the Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IPMC, CNRS) in Sophia Antipolis, France, where she completed her PhD in 2024.

During her PhD, she investigated the effects of omega-3 fatty acids and their oxygenated derivatives in the context of type 2 diabetes. Using cellular and ex vivo models, she studied their impact on beta-cell survival, insulin secretion, and insulin sensitivity, exploring the potential of nutrition-derived bioactive compounds to support diabetes management.

She subsequently joined the Islet Research Group at MERLN as a postdoctoral researcher in the Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine (CTR) division, under the supervision of Dr. Aart van Apeldoorn. Her expertise in beta-cell biology is now being applied to the development and evaluation of cell replacement strategies for type 1 diabetes.