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Catheter treatment is not only effective, but also cost-effective for ischemic stroke

Catheter treatment is not only effective, but also cost-effective for ischemic stroke

29 September 2026

With ischemic stroke, every minute counts. However, many patients do not seek hospital care until it is too late, for example, because symptoms are not immediately recognized or because people wake up with signs of neurological deficits. As a result, a group of patients is no longer eligible for catheter treatment. 

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Platelets: more than a band-aid

Platelets: more than a band-aid

23 September 2026

Some processes in our body might seem obvious to us. If you cut your finger, the bleeding will stop shortly and form a scab. Behind that seemingly simple process hides a sophisticated system of platelets and clotting factors. By now, we know that platelets do much more than halt bleeding: they function as information carriers and regulators of disease processes. 

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Carim Maastricht
Carim Maastricht

Sander Verheule

Associate professor

Dr Sander Verheule has studied Biology at the University of Utrecht, with internships at the Hubrecht Laboratory for Developmental Biology and at the Department of Neurophysiology (VU Amsterdam). As a PhD student in the group of Dr Habo Jongsma (Department of Medical Physiology, Utrecht), he investigated the distribution and electrophysiological behavior of gap junction channels in various regions of the heart, defending his PhD thesis in 1999. From 1999-2003, he worked as an AHA post-doctoral fellow in the group of Dr Jeffrey Olgin and Dr Douglas Zipes at the Krannert Institute of Cardiology in Indianapolis, Indiana. There, his research focussed on the impact of structural remodeling on atrial conduction.

In 2003, Dr Verheule joined the electrophysiology group at the Department of Physiology in Maastricht. In his current research, he investigates the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying atrial fibrillation, and the recognition of these mechanisms in patients. His two main research questions are 1) How do atrial vascular and metabolic remodeling contribute to the progression of atrial fibrillation? and 2) How do changes in atrial tissue structure affect atrial electrical propagation?

 

Sander-verheule

Department of Physiology
Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER Maastricht
PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht
Room number: F3.118
T: +31(0)43 388 10 76

  • 2026
    • Winters, J., Kawczynski, M., Gilbers, M., Isaacs, A., Zeemering, S., Habibi, Z., Rienstra, M., van Gelder, I., Maesen, B., Bidar, E., Verheule, S., & Schotten, U. (2026). Histological evaluation of clinically defined atrial cardiomyopathy stages and their association with atrial fibrillation burden under continuous monitoring for a 2.5-year follow-up. EP Europace, 28(7), Article euag146. https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euag146
    • Ayagama, T., Barrett-Jolley, R., Fischer, R., Hester, S. S., Schotten, U., Verheule, S., & Burton, R. A. B. (2026). Proteomic signatures of mitochondrial dysfunction associated with atrial fibrillation in goats. Scientific Reports, 16(1), Article 28023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-58413-1
    • Lotfalla, A., Heuts, S., Schreurs, R., Maessen, J. G., Schurgers, L., Korver, E., Verheule, S., Lorusso, R., Jacobs, M., & Bidar, E. (2026). A Comprehensive Total Body Perfusion Strategy vs Conventional Techniques in Elective Aortic Arch Surgery: A Comparative Analysis. Interdisciplinary CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery, 41(6), Article ivag145. https://doi.org/10.1093/icvts/ivag145
    • Napolitano, D., Körver, E., Cornelisse, Y., Doddema, A., Wang, Y., Hendrix, R., Verkerk, K., Oostveen, C., de Jong, M., Gelsomino, S., Simons, J., Jiritano, F., Serraino, G. F., Li, X., Nia, P. S., Verheule, S., Kawczynski, M. J., Heuts, S., Bidar, E., & Lorusso, R. (2026). In Vitro Tests of Antegrade Distal Limb Perfusion Modalities in Peripheral Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Asaio Journal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/MAT.0000000000002761
    • D'alessandro, E., Scaf, B., Opacic, D., van Hunnik, A., Sobota, V., Kuiper, M., Viola, M., Hutschalik, T., Langione, M., Pioner, J. M., Munts, C., Simons, J., Winters, J., Isaacs, A., Heitmeier, S., Stoll, M., van Oerle, R., Ten Cate, H., Spronk, H. M. H., ... Schotten, U. (2026). Rivaroxaban Treatment Prevents Atrial Myocyte Hypertrophy in Goats with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation by Inhibition of Protease-Activated Receptor-1. Thrombosis and Haemostasis. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2761-6106
  • 2025
    • Ayagama, T., Berridge, G., Fischer, R., Capel, R. A., Verheule, S., Schotten, U., & Burton, R. A. B. (2025). Protocol for endolysosomal proteomics in goat atrial tissue using a refined density-gradient approach. STAR protocols, 6(4), Article 104248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2025.104248
    • Akerman, E., Aston, D., Rog-Zielinska, E. A., Boland, B., Schotten, U., Verheule, S., Capel, R. A., & Burton, R. A. B. (2025). Atrial granules as acidic calcium stores in cardiomyocytes. European heart journal open, 5(4), Article oeaf083. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjopen/oeaf083
    • Schotten, U., Goette, A., & Verheule, S. (2025). Translation of pathophysiological mechanisms of atrial fibrosis into new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 22(4), 225-240. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-024-01088-w
    • Isaacs, A., Zeemering, S., Winters, J., Batlle, M., Bidar, E., Boukens, B., Casadei, B., Chua, W., Crijns, H. J. G. M., Fabritz, L., Guasch, E., Hatem, S. N., Hermans, B., Kääb, S., Kawczynski, M., Maesen, B., Maessen, J., Mont, L., Sinner, M. F., ... Stoll, M. (2025). Lateral Atrial Expression Patterns Provide Insights into Local Transcription Disequilibrium Contributing to Disease Susceptibility. Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine, 18(1), Article e004594. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCGEN.124.004594
    • Ozgul, O., Marques, V. G., Hermans, B. JM., van Hunnik, A., Verheule, S., Gharaviri, A., Pezzuto, S., Auricchio, A., Schotten, U., Bonizzi, P., & Zeemering, S. (2025). High-density and high-coverage composite atrial activation maps: an in-silico validation study. Ieee Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 72(1), 79-89. https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2024.3439502
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