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Social and economic background influences survival in intensive care: Research with societal impact

Social and economic background influences survival in intensive care: Research with societal impact

18 August 2026

A large-scale study by researchers from Maastricht UMC+ and Amsterdam UMC demonstrates that lower socioeconomic status (SES) of patients admitted to Dutch intensive care units contributes to worse survival.

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Fatma Karapinar appointed as Professor in Medication Safety

Fatma Karapinar appointed as Professor in Medication Safety

12 August 2026

As of 1 June 2026, Dr Fatma Karapinar has been appointed Professor of Medication Safety at Maastricht University.

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Carim Maastricht
Carim Maastricht

Marjo Donners

Associate professor

Dr Marjo Donners studied Medical Biology at Utrecht University, where she graduated cum laude in 2001. In 2005, she obtained her PhD at Maastricht University (Department of Pathology), where she evaluated novel therapeutic targets and diagnostic tools for atherosclerotic plaque progression, focusing on immunosuppression and proteomics.

In 2004, she started as a post-doc at Maastricht University (Department of Pathology) and visited the lab of Dr R. Stan at Dartmouth University (USA) to gain expertise in lipid raft isolation. In 2006, she moved to the Department of Cardiology and identified A Disintegrin and Metalloproteases ADAM10 as novel binding partner of VEGFR2. Supported by two prestigious personal grants from the Dutch Heart Foundation (Dr. Dekker junior post-doc and senior post-doc grants), she established her own research line unravelling the role of ADAM10 in endothelial cell functions in atherosclerosis. In 2009, she continued this project within the Department of Molecular Genetics, shifting focus to macrophage functions, regulated by ADAMs as well as High Density Lipoproteins. In 2013, she was appointed as Assistant Professor within the Department of Pathology, where she was promoted to Associate Professor in 2017. Using conditional knockout mice, rendered atherogenic by injection with a PCSK9-adenoassociated construct, she studied cell-specific effects of ADAM10 in atherosclerosis.

Currently, she combines vascular inflammation and ageing research with teaching and coordination of the AtheroMaas biobank of human atherosclerotic plaque specimen and blood samples from patients that underwent carotid endarterectomy surgery. Moreover, she is an active member of the CARIM Research council, where she uses her experience in various grant assessment committees to provide advice on grant writing and grant interviews.

Foto marjo 2021

Department of Pathology
P. Debyelaan 25, 6229 HX Maastricht
Room number: 5.H2.035
T: +31(0)43 387 46 25

  • 2025
    • Saar-Kovrov, V., Pawlowska, A., Guillot, A., Gijbels, M. J. J., Sluimer, J. C., Temmerman, L., Goossens, P., Mees, B. M. E., Tacke, F., Jankowski, V., Jankowski, J., Donners, M. M. P. C., & Biessen, E. A. L. (2025). Correction: Protein carbamylation in atherosclerotic plaques correlates with uremia and disease progression, localizing predominantly to foam cells. Frontiers in Immunology, 16, Article 1637511. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1637511
    • Saar-Kovrov, V., Pawlowska, A., Guillot, A., Gijbels, M. J. J., Sluimer, J. C., Temmerman, L., Goossens, P., Mees, B. M. E., Tacke, F., Jankowski, V., Jankowski, J., Donners, M. M. P. C., & Biessen, E. A. L. (2025). Protein carbamylation in atherosclerotic plaques correlates with uremia and disease progression, localizing predominantly to foam cells. Frontiers in Immunology, 16, Article 1532250. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1532250
  • 2024
    • Jin, H., Zhang, C., Nagenborg, J., Juhasz, P., Ruder, A. V., Sikkink, C. J. J. M., Mees, B. M. E., Waring, O., Sluimer, J. C., Neumann, D., Goossens, P., Donners, M. M. P. C., Mardinoglu, A., & Biessen, E. A. L. (2024). Genome-scale metabolic network of human carotid plaque reveals the pivotal role of glutamine/glutamate metabolism in macrophage modulating plaque inflammation and vulnerability. Cardiovascular Diabetology, 23(1), Article 240. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12933-024-02339-3
    • Lu, C., Donners, M. M. P. C., de Baaij, J. B. J., Jin, H., Otten, J. J. T., Manca, M., van Zonneveld, A. J., Jukema, J. W., Kraaijeveld, A., Kuiper, J., Pasterkamp, G., Mees, B., Sluimer, J. C., Cavill, R., Karel, J. M. H., Goossens, P., & Biessen, E. A. L. (2024). Identification of a gene network driving the attenuated response to lipopolysaccharide of monocytes from hypertensive coronary artery disease patients. Frontiers in Immunology, 15, Article 1286382. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1286382
    • Wieland, E. B., Kempen, L. J., Donners, M. M., Biessen, E. A., & Goossens, P. (2024). Macrophage heterogeneity in atherosclerosis: A matter of context. European journal of immunology, 54(1), Article 2350464. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.202350464
  • 2023
    • Wieland, E. B., Kempen, L. J. A. P., Lu, C., Donners, M. M. P. C., Biessen, E. A. L., & Goossens, P. (2023). Protocol for multispectral imaging on cryosections to map myeloid cell heterogeneity in its spatial context. STAR protocols, 4(4), Article 102601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102601
    • Lu, C., Donners, M. M. P. C., Karel, J., de Boer, H., van Zonneveld, A. J., den Ruijter, H., Jukema, J. W., Kraaijeveld, A., Kuiper, J., Pasterkamp, G., Cavill, R., Perales-Patón, J., Ferrannini, E., Goossens, P., & Biessen, E. A. L. (2023). Sex-specific differences in cytokine signaling pathways in circulating monocytes of cardiovascular disease patients. Atherosclerosis, 384, Article 117123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.04.005
    • Nagenborg, J., Jin, H., Ruder, A. V., Temmerman, L., Mees, B., Schalkwijk, C., Müller-Klieser, D., Berg, T., Goossens, P., Donners, M. M. P. C., & Biessen, E. A. L. (2023). GM-CSF-activated STAT5A regulates macrophage functions and inflammation in atherosclerosis. Frontiers in Immunology, 14, Article 1165306. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1165306
    • Maas, S. L., Donners, M. M. P. C., & van der Vorst, E. P. C. (2023). ADAM10 and ADAM17, Major Regulators of Chronic Kidney Disease Induced Atherosclerosis?International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(8), Article 7309. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24087309
    • van der Vorst, E. P. C., Maas, S. L., Theodorou, K., Peters, L. J. F., Jin, H., Rademakers, T., Gijbels, M. J., Rousch, M., Jansen, Y., Weber, C., Lehrke, M., Lebherz, C., Yildiz, D., Ludwig, A., Bentzon, J. F., Biessen, E. A. L., & Donners, M. M. P. C. (2023). Endothelial ADAM10 controls cellular response to oxLDL and its deficiency exacerbates atherosclerosis with intraplaque hemorrhage and neovascularization in mice. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 10(1), Article 974918. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2023.974918
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