The 23rd Dutch-German Joint Meeting of the Molecular Cardiology Working Groups

March 12-14, 2026

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Amsterdam

The 23rd Dutch-German Joint Meeting brings together experts in molecular cardiology to discuss disease mechanisms and therapeutic advances across cardiovascular pathologies. This edition prominently features early- and mid-career investigators to bring fresh perspectives alongside established expertise.

Program Highlights

Vascular and metabolic contributions to cardiomyopathies and heart failure; advanced human modelling for disease and repair; arrhythmia pathways and therapeutic frontiers in gene, drug, and wearable strategies.

Keynote Speakers

Prof. Andrew Baker, Edinburgh and Prof. Jolanda Kluin, Rotterdam

Aims

  • Elucidate drivers of complex CVD phenotypes from mechanism to bedside.
  • Advance precision therapies leveraging human models and functional insights.
  • Cultivate collaborations across career stages in cardiovascular research.

Venue

New University (NU) building Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
De Boelelaan 1111
1081 HV Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Program

Thursday 12th March 2026

12:00 – 12:45 Arrival, Coffee and Snacks
12:45 – 13:00 Welcome and Organizational Matters
13:00 – 14:30 Session 1: The Vascular Side of Heart Failure
Chairs: Reinier Boon (Amsterdam, NL); Friederike Cuello (Hamburg, DE)
Speakers:
Jeffrey Kroon (Amsterdam, NL); Immunometabolic Modulation of Vascular Interfaces to Reshape the Cardiometabolic Microenvironment
Guillermo Luxan (Frankfurt, DE); The Role of Microvasculature in Heart Failure
Dimitri Kasakovski (Maastricht, NL); Adventitial Fibroblasts in Vascular Ageing and Fibrosis
Maike Frye: Angiocrine control of cardiac function
14:30 – 15:00 Coffee Break
15:00 – 16:30 Session 2: Therapeutic Frontiers in Cardiovascular Disease
Chairs: Geert Boink (Amsterdam, NL); Gabriele Schiattarella (Berlin, DE)
Speakers:
Francesca Stillitano (Utrecht, NL); Gene Therapy for PLN-R14del cardiomyopathy
Constanze Schmidt (Göttingen, DE); A New Concept to Modulate Cardiac Conductivity
Miranda van Eck (Leiden, NL); ABCA1 in Bone Marrow-Derived Cells as a Modulator of Atherosclerosis
Wolfgang Linke (Munster, DE); Evidence-based Treatment Strategies for Titin Truncation Cardiomyopathy
16:30 – 18:00 Poster Session I (with coffee and snacks)
18:00 – 19:00 Keynote lecture 1
Introducer: Monika Gladka (Amsterdam, NL)
Andrew Baker, Edinburgh; Developing advanced therapies for vascular disease: The journey and the future
20:00 Dinner and Evening event

Friday 13th March 2026

09:30 – 11:00 Session 3: Mechanisms and Management of Cardiomyopathies
Chairs: Herman Sillje (Groningen, NL); Chair 2: TBA
Speakers:
Peter-Paul Zwetsloot (Rotterdam, NL); Individual Response Measurements in Cardiomyopathies and Targeted Therapies
Claudia Crocini (Berlin, DE); Effect of Myosin Activators on hiPSC-derived Cardiomyocytes Expressing a Lamin A Mutation Associated with Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Connie Bezzina (Amsterdam, NL); Mapping the Genomic Landscape of Inherited Cardiomyopathies
Brenda Gerull (Würzburg, DE); Contributions of the Immune System to Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 – 12:30 Session 4: Young Investigator Award
Jury: Leon de Windt (Maastricht, NL); Mirko Volkers (Heidelberg, DE); Carol Ann Remme (Amsterdam, NL); Friederike Cuello (Hamburg, DE)
Speakers:TBA
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 15:00 Session 5: Decoding Patterns and Pathways in Cardiac Arrhythmias
Chairs: Toon van Veen (Utrecht, NL); Larissa Fabritz (Hamburg, DE)
Speakers:
Matthijs Cluitmans (Maastricht, NL); The Circle of Reentry: Understanding the Components of (Unexplained) Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Viviane Timmermann (Freiburg, DE); Illuminating Mechanisms: From Fluorescent Sarcomeres to Identifiable Models of Arrhythmia Dynamics
Daniël Pijnappels (Leiden, NL); Wearable-based Shock-free Control of Cardiac Rhythm
Katharina Scherschel (Dusseldorf, DE); Beyond the Usual Suspects: The Role of Neuro-Glial Pathways in Cardiac Arrhythmias
15:00 – 16:30 Poster Session II (with coffee and snacks)
16:30 – 18:00 Session 6: New Approach Methodologies in CV disease
Chairs: Harsha Devalla (Amsterdam, NL); Katrin Streckfuß-Bömeke (Würzburg, DE)
Speakers:
Jan Willem Buikema (Amsterdam, NL); The Molecular Keys Unlocking Cardiomyocyte Proliferation
Lika Drakhlis (Hannover, DE); Heart-forming Organoids for Modeling Human Development and Disease
Robert Passier (Enschede, NL); Engineering Predictive Human Cardiac Systems. From Stem Cells to Functional Disease Models
Michael Stauske (AstraZeneca, Sweden); Industry Perspective on Implementation of Human Models in Cardiovascular Drug Discovery
Giulia Campostrini (Leiden, NL); Better together: multicellular 3D cardiac microtissues for an improved hiPSC-based disease modelling
18:00 – 19:00 Keynote lecture 2
Introducer: TBA
Jolanda Kluin, Rotterdam. Surgeon-scientist, the road less traveled by
20:00 Dinner and Evening event

Saturday 14th March 2026

09:30 – 11:00 Session 7: Metabolic Drivers and Modifiers of Cardiovascular Disease
Chairs: Jolanda van der Velden (Amsterdam, NL); Chair 2: Benjamin Meder (Heidelberg, DE)
Speakers:
Signe Mosegaard (Amsterdam, NL); Molecular Insights to Metabolic Cardiomyopathies
Alexander Bartelt (Munich, DE); Molecular Stress Resilience in the Heart
Mariette Boon (Rotterdam, NL); The Intricate Link Between Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease
Christoph Maack (Würzburg, DE); Mechano-energetic Uncoupling in Heart Failure
Julia Ritterhoff (Heidelberg, DE); Cardiac Fatty Acid Oxidation in Health & Disease – More Than a Fuel
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 – 13:00 Session 8: Rewiring Repair: Dynamics of Cardiovascular Regeneration
Chairs: Eva van Rooij (Utrecht, NL); Laura Zelarayan-Behrend (Gießen, DE)
Speakers:
Arica Beisaw (Heidelberg, DE); Cardiomyocyte-macrophage Crosstalk During Zebrafish Heart Regeneration
Marie-Jose Goumans (Leiden, NL); Cardiac Repair XB: An Outer Body Experience
Tim Koopmans (Utrecht, NL); Mechanical Uncoupling Facilitates Cardiac Repair in Adult Spiny Mice
Christian Bär (Hannover, DE); Targeting Telomerase in Cardiopulmonary Disease and Regeneration
13:00 – 13:15 Award Announcements
13:15 – 13:30 Announcement next year venue
13:30 Takeaway Lunch and Departure

Registration & Abstract Submission

To register for the conference and submit your abstract, please complete the form below

Important Dates:

  • Abstract Submission Deadline: January 29, 2026
  • Notification of YIA: February 15, 2026