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Uyên Châu Nguyên wins UM Dissertation Prize 2025

Uyên Châu Nguyên wins UM Dissertation Prize 2025

29 January 2026

During the Dies Natalis of Maastricht University, Uyên Châu Nguyên received the UM Dissertation Prize 2025.

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Global research network launched to study menopause and heart health

Global research network launched to study menopause and heart health

20 January 2026

Ten international health research funders, including the Dutch Heart Foundation, are investing $10 million in a new global research network to improve early prevention of cardiovascular disease in women. The initiative focuses on understanding how menopause affects heart health and how early intervention can reduce risk.

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Carim Maastricht
Carim Maastricht

Ben Janssen

Associate professor

Dr Ben Janssen graduated with the specialisation physiology and endocrinology at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Nijmegen (1983). He received his PhD with a thesis on ‘sensory renal nerves and hypertension’ at the Department of Pharmacology of Maastricht University (1988). Since then, he has been full member of the staff of the Department of Pharmacology and was appointed associate professor and teaching coordinator Pharmacology at the medical faculty in 2004. He enjoyed several cardiovascular research trainings in institutes across the USA and has worked for one year (1995) at Baker Medical Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia in the laboratory of Prof. Head (autonomic pharmacology).

His main research line focusses on integrative pharmacological control of autonomic function in cardiovascular disease. He has considerable experience in translating pharmacological research in vitro to hypothesis testing in vivo experimental animals and has specialised in baroreflex control of the circulation as well as circadian rhythms.

His current research area is related to the role of the kidney in the (perinatal) development of hypertension. He is sponsored by the Dutch Kidney Foundation on a project on the role of hypoxia in the development of chronic kidney disease. In these studies he makes use of state of the art in vivo telemetric recordings of tissue oxygen.

 

 

Ben-janssen

Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER Maastricht
PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht
Room number: 4.260
T: +31(0)43 388 13 47

  • 2010
    • Post, S., Smits, A. M., van den Broek, A. J., Sluijter, J. P. G., Hoefer, I. E., Janssen, B. J., Snijder, R. J., Mager, J. J., Pasterkamp, G., Mummery, C. L., Doevendans, P. A., & Goumans, M.-J. (2010). Impaired recruitment of HHT-1 mononuclear cells to the ischaemic heart is due to an altered CXCR4/CD26 balance. Cardiovascular Research, 85(3), 494-502. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvp313
    • Megens, R. T. A., Reitsma, S., Prinzen, L., Egbrink, M. G. A. O., Engels, W., Leenders, P. J. A., Brunenberg, E. J. L., Reesink, K. D., Janssen, B. J. A., Romeny, B. M. T. H., Slaaf, D. W., & van Zandvoort, M. A. M. J. (2010). In vivo high-resolution structural imaging of large arteries in small rodents using two-photon laser scanning microscopy. Journal of Biomedical Optics, 15(1), 10. Article 011108. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.3281672
  • 2009
    • van den Borne, S. W. M., van de Schans, V. A. M., Strzelecka, A. E., Vervoort-Peters, H. T. M., Lijnen, P. M., Cleutjens, J. P. M., Smits, J. F. M., Daemen, M. J. A. P., Janssen, B. J. A., & Blankesteijn, W. M. (2009). Mouse strain determines the outcome of wound healing after myocardial infarction. Cardiovascular Research, 84(2), 273-82. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvp207
  • 2008
    • Donners, M. M. P. C., Beckers, L., Lievens, D., Munnix, I., Heemskerk, J., Janssen, B. J., Wijnands, E., Cleutjens, J., Zernecke, A., Weber, C., Ahonen, C. L., Benbow, U., Newby, A. C., Noelle, R. J., Daemen, M. J. A. P., & Lutgens, E. (2008). The CD40-TRAF6 axis is the key regulator of the CD40/CD40L system in neointima formation and arterial remodeling. Blood, 111(9), 4596-604. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2007-05-088906
    • Smeets, P. J. H., Teunissen, B. E. J., Willemsen, P. H. M., van Nieuwenhoven, F. A., Brouns, A. E., Janssen, B. J. A., Cleutjens, J. P. M., Staels, B., van der Vusse, G. J., & van Bilsen, M. (2008). Cardiac hypertrophy is enhanced in PPAR alpha-/- mice in response to chronic pressure overload. Cardiovascular Research, 78(1), 79-89. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvn001
    • Rensen, S., Niessen, P. M., van Deursen, J. M., Janssen, B. J., Heijman, E., Hermeling, E., Meens, M. J. P. M. T., Lie, N., Gijbels, M. J., Strijkers, G. J., Doevendans, P. A., Hofker, M. H., de Mey, J. G., & van Eys, G. J. (2008). Smoothelin-B deficiency results in reduced arterial contractility, hypertension, and cardiac hypertrophy in mice. Circulation, 118(8), 828-36. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.743690
  • 2007
    • van de Schans, V. A. M., van den Borne, S. W. M., Strzelecka, A. E., Janssen, B. J., van der Velden, J. L., Langen, R. C., Wynshaw Boris, A., Smits, J. F., & Blankesteijn, W. M. (2007). Interruption of Wnt Signaling Attenuates the Onset of Pressure Overload-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy. Hypertension, 49(3), 473-480. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.HYP.0000255946.55091.24
  • 2006
    • van Haaften, R. I. M., Schroen, B. L., Janssen, B. J., van Erk, A. A., Debets, J. J., Smeets, H. J., Smits, J. F., van den Wijngaard, A., Pinto, Y. M., & Evelo, C. T. (2006). Biologically relevant effects of mRNA amplification on gene expression profiles. BMC Bioinformatics, 7, 200. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-7-200
  • 2004
    • Schroen, B., Heymans, S., Sharma, U., Blankesteijn, W. M., Pokharel, S., Cleutjens, J. P. M., Porter, J. G., Evelo, C. T. A., Duisters, R., van Leeuwen, R. E. W., Janssen, B. J. A., Debets, J. J. M., Smits, J. F. M., Daemen, M. J. A. P., Crijns, H. J. G. M., Bornstein, P., & Pinto, Y. M. (2004). Thrombospondin-2 is essential for myocardial matrix integrity: increased expression identifies failure-prone cardiac hypertrophy. Circulation Research, 95(5), 515-522. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.RES.0000141019.20332.3e
    • De Celle, T., Cleutjens, J. P., Blankesteijn, W. M., Debets, J. J., Smits, J. F., & Janssen, B. J. (2004). Long-term structural and functional consequences of cardiac ischaemia-reperfusion injury in vivo in mice. Experimental Physiology, 89(5), 605-15. https://doi.org/10.1113/expphysiol.2004.027649
    • De Celle, T., Heeringa, P., Strzelecka, A. E., Bast, A., Smits, J. F. M., & Janssen, B. J. A. (2004). Sustained protective effects of 7-monohydroxyethylrutoside in an in vivo model of cardiac ischemia-reperfusion. European Journal of Pharmacology, 494(2-3), 205-212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2004.05.017
  • 2003
    • Hallemeesch, M. M., Janssen, B. J. A., de Jonge, W. J., Soeters, P. B., Lamers, W. H., & Deutz, N. E. P. (2003). NO production by cNOS and iNOS reflects blood pressure changes in LPS-challenged mice. American Journal of Physiology : Endocrinology and Metabolism, 285(4), E871-E875. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00004.2002
  • 2001
    • van Eickels, M., Grohé, C., Cleutjens, J. P., Janssen, B. J., Wellens, H. J., & Doevendans, P. A. (2001). 17beta-estradiol attenuates the development of pressure-overload hypertrophy. Circulation, 104(12), 1419-23. https://doi.org/10.1161/hc3601.095577
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