Experimental Cardiology

The laboratory of Experimental Cardiology is part of the department of Cardiology and of the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM). The lab finds its home base at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML) of Maastricht university. Research at the laboratory of Experimental Cardiology and supervised by Blanche Schroen, Marc van Bilsen and Vanessa van Empel, aims at the unraveling of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying heart failure, with a particular focus on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and diastolic dysfunction. 

The team has a broad scientific interest in cellular and molecular mechanisms in the diseased heart, including the role of immune cells, fibroblasts and the microvasculature in the progression towards HFpEF. In addition, the team has expertise in metabolic determinants of cardiomyocyte function. These cellular aspects of heart failure development are investigated predominantly by focusing on the role of non-coding RNAs within the different cell types. As a basis for the research conducted within the group, the impact of systemic diseases like hypertension, diabetes and obesity on the heart is considered central to the progression towards heart failure and HFpEF.