Dr Sabine Daemen (Dept of Internal Medicine) and Dr Uyen Chau Nguyen (Dept of Cardiology) have been awarded a Veni grant worth up to €320,000 from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The grant is an incentive for adventurous, talented and groundbreaking researchers to further develop their own research ideas over the next three years.

Macrophages to the rescue in liver fibrosis - Dr Sabine Daemen

Sabine will spend the coming years diving deeper into a topic close to her heart: how restorative macrophages can be harnessed to combat MASH and liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis is the formation of scar tissue in the liver, which can lead to serious health problems. Unfortunately, there are few treatment options available. In previous research we learned that certain immune cells, called macrophages, can help repair fibrosis by breaking down scar tissue. This research focuses on understanding how these cells perform this repairing function and identifying the signals they need to do so. With this knowledge, a new therapy can be developed that harnesses the power of macrophages to treat liver fibrosis.

Myocardial scar: unravelling its implications on pacemaker therapy in heart failure - Dr Uyen Chau Nguyen

Uyen will investigate how scar tissue in the heart affects the effectiveness of pacemaker therapy and how this therapy can be optimized to improve outcomes for heart failure patients with scar tissue. Heart failure is a serious condition characterized by shortness of breath, fatigue, hospitalizations, and high mortality. In the Netherlands, over 241,300 people live with heart failure, and the number of patients continues to rise due to an aging population. One in four patients with heart failure is eligible for pacemaker therapy, which can restore the pump function of the heart through electrical stimulation of the heart chambers, potentially curing heart failure. However, the majority of heart failure patients has scar tissue in the heart muscle as a result of coronary artery disease and/or heart attack. These patients typically respond suboptimal to pacemaker therapy. 

The Veni is a personal scientific grant aimed at researchers who have recently obtained their PhD. The grant instrument allows recipients to conduct research of their own choosing. The projects that receive funding therefore cover a wide range of topics.