The 22nd Dutch-German Joint Meeting of the Molecular Cardiology Working Groups

March 13th-15th, 2025

Insights into Cutting-Edge Cardiovascular Research and Therapeutics

Theme of the 22nd Dutch-German Joint Meeting (DGJM) in Heidelberg

The 22^nd DGJM will focus on innovative approaches in cardiovascular research, with a particular emphasis on the latest breakthroughs in understanding cardiac diseases and the development of innovative, personalized therapies. This year, the meeting will be hosted in the historic city of Heidelberg, providing a stimulating environment for scientists to engage in discussions on the forefront of cardiovascular science.

The meeting will explore a wide range of themes, beginning with cardiac gene regulatory mechanisms and their influence on heart function. The use of cutting-edge in vitro models will be showcased to advance our understanding of cardiovascular development, disease, and therapeutic testing. A key highlight will be the emerging role of mRNA technologies in diagnosing and treating heart diseases. Additionally, we will dive into the complex relationships between cardiac metabolism and heart failure, specifically the differences between HFpEF and HFrEF, and will discuss the important role of inter-organ communication involved in heart failure.

By bringing together expertise across basic, translational, and clinical research, we aim to foster collaborative efforts that can drive therapeutic innovations. The conference will also offer a dedicated platform for young researchers to present their findings and engage with senior experts, further advancing the field.

Our objectives are

to investigate cardiac gene regulation and its role in disease.
to discuss innovative *in vitro* models for understanding cardiovascular health and disease.
to explore the potential of mRNA technologies in heart diagnostics and therapy.
to review differences of cardiac metabolism in heart failure subtypes (HFpEF vs HFrEF).
to examine inter-organ communication in heart failure.
to highlight emerging therapeutic approaches in cardiovascular health.

DGJM Organizing committee Heidelberg

Mirko Völkers

Arica Beisaw

Maarten van dem Hoogenhof

Christoph Hofmann

Vivien Kmietczyk

DGJM advice and program committee:

Gabriele Schiattarella (Berlin)

Pieterjan Dierickx (Bad Nauheim)

Monika Gladka (Amsterdam)

Diederik Kuster (Amsterdam)

Herman Silljé (Groningen)

Rabea Hinkel (Göttingen)

Program

Thursday 13th March 2025

12:00 – 12:45	Arrival, Snack
12:45 – 13:00	Welcome and Organizational Issues
13:00 – 14:30	Session 1: Gene regulatory mechanisms in cardiac diseases Chairs: Esther Creemers (Amsterdam, NL), Maarten van den Hoogenhof (Heidelberg, DE) Presentations: Stephane Heymans (Maastricht, NL): Dilated cardiomyopathy: discovery of gene- and inflammation-specific targets. Johannes Backs (Heidelberg, DE): HDAC signaling in cardiometabolic disease Vincent Christoffels (Amsterdam, NL): Ectopic expression of PITX2 dose-dependently impairs pacemaker cell differentiation, sinus node function and atrial rhythm Norbert Hübner (Berlin, DE): Single cell genomics for precision medicine in heart failure
14:30 – 16:00	Poster Session Walk I Judges: Wolfgang Linke (Münster, DE), Katrin Streckfuß-Bömeke (Würzburg, DE), Toon van Veen (Utrecht, NL), Harsha Devalla (Amsterdam, NL), Friederike Cuello (Hamburg, DE), Maarten van den Hoogenhof (Heidelberg, DE)
16:00 –16:45	Clinical translational lecture: Norbert Frey (Heidelberg, DE) Heart failure: Novel targets for future therapies
16:45 – 17:15	Coffee Break
17:15-18:00	Session 2: RNA(s) in the heart – diagnostic tools and therapeutic potential Presentations: Chairs: Herman Sillje (Groningen, NL), Laura Zelarayán (Göttingen, DE) Speaker 1: Anke Tijsen (Amsterdam, NL) Speaker 2: Stefan Engelhardt (München, DE): Development of a macrophage-targeted RNA therapeutic.
17:15- 18:00	Keynote lecture 1: Chair: Gabriele Schiattarella (Berlin, DE) Presentations: Mauro Giacca (Kings College London, UK): RNA therapies for the heart
20:00	Dinner and Evening Event Palmbräugasse Hauptstraße 185, 69117 Heidelberg

Friday 14th March 2025

9:30 – 11:00	Session 3: Non-Animal Approaches to study CV development and disease Chairs: Diederik Kuster (Amsterdam, NL), Lucie Carrier (Hamburg, DE) Presentations: Verena Schwach (Twente, NL): Innovative cardiac models to study development and disease Maike Frye (Hamburg, DE): Endothelial mechanoregulation in cardiovascular disease Milena Belin (Leiden, NL): Cardiac microtissues from human pluripotent stem cells to model inherited heart diseases and to test drugs. Malte Tiburcy, (Göttingen, DE): Cellular cross-talk in engineered human myocardium
11:00 – 11:30	Coffee Break
11:30 – 13:00	Session 4: Intercellular/-organ communication in HF Chairs: Pieterjan Diericks (Bad Nauheim, DE), Eva van Rooij (Utrecht, NL) Presentations: Dirk Duncker (Amsterdam, NL): Pathophysiology of Microvascular- and Diastolic Dysfunction in Swine with Diabetes, Dyslipidemia and Chronic Kidney Disease Sabine Steffens (München, DE): Non-classical monocytes contribute to sex-differences in cardiac fibrosis Laura Meems (Groningen, NL) Maria-Patapia Zafeiriou (Göttingen, DE)
13.00 - 13.30	Lunch
13.30 – 15:00	Poster Session Walk II Larissa Fabritz (Hamburg, DE), Lorenz Lehmann (Heidelberg, DE), Phil Barnett (Amsterdam, NL), Anke Smits (Leiden, NL), Arica Beisaw (Heidelberg, DE), Monika Gladka (Amsterdam, NL)
15:00-16:30	Session 5: Metabolic underpinnings of HF: HFpEF vs HFrEF Chairs: Daan Westenbrink (Groningen, NL), Gabriele Schiattarella (Berlin, DE) Presentations: Deli Zhang (Wageningen, NL): Methods Spotlight: Assessing Mitochondrial (dys)function in Frozen Hearts Christoph Maack (Würzburg): Mitochondrial redox regulation in heart failure Miranda Nabben (Maastricht, NL): Endosomal Regulation of Cardiomyocyte Substrate Metabolism and Implications for Heart Failure Christian Oeing (Berlin, DE): Role of mTORC1 in HFpEF
16:30 – 17:00	Coffee Break
17:00 – 18:00	Session 6: Young Investigator Award Session (selected from abstracts) Poster Judges: Kristina Lorenz (Würzburg, DE), Anke Smits (Leiden, NL), Wouter Meijers (Rotterdam, NL), Daniela Panakova (Kiel, DE) Speaker 1: to be announced Speaker 2: to be announced Speaker 3: to be announced Speaker 4: to be announced
19:00	Diner and Evening Event BräuStadel Berliner Str. 41, 69120 Heidelberg

Saturday 15th March 2025

9:00 – 10:30	Session 7: Cardiac Aging, regeneration and rejuvenation. Chairs: Arica Beisaw (Heidelberg, DE), Kees Jan Boogerd (Utrecht, NL) Presentations: Jeroen Bakkers (Utrecht, NL): Interspecies comparison reveals a novel mechanism of cardiac regeneration. Rabea Hinkel (Göttingen, DE): Natural Aging: A Cardiovascular Disease Monika Gladka (Amsterdam, NL): Novel molecular targets for cardiac repair in post infarcted heart Johnny Kim (TRON, DE): Towards translation of cardiovascular reprogramming.
10:30 – 11:00	Coffee Break
11:00 –11:45	2^nd Keynote: Chair: Mirko Völkers Presentation: Benjamin Prosser (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
11:45 – 12:30	Lunch Break
12:30 – 14:00	Session 8: Innovative therapeutic approaches in CVDs Chairs: Thomas Eschenhagen (Hamburg, DE), Jolanda van der Velden (Amsterdam, NL) Presentations: Peter van der Meer (Groningen, NL): Identification of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of the failing heart – the role of oxidative stress Wolfram Zimmerman (Göttingen, DE): Remuscularization of the Primate and Human Heart. Leon de Windt (Maastricht, NL): Integrating AI and single cell RNA-seq to identify cardiomyocyte maturation genes Kristina Lorenz (Würzburg, DE): A new targeting strategy for pathological ERK1/2 signalling
14:00	YIA Winner and Poster Prize Announcement
14.20	Announcement next year venue
14:30	Departure

Venue

Address

Heidelberg University Hospital
Medical Clinic, Grand Auditorium
Im Neuenheimer Feld 410
69120 Heidelberg

Contact

Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Medizinische Klinik III
Im Neuenheimer Feld 669
69120 Heidelberg

Labor-Voelkers.MED3(at)med.uni-heidelberg.de

Directions

By public transport:

Bus lines 31 and 32, Bus stop “Medizinische KLinik”. The Bus stop is directly in front of the entrance.

By car:

A656 towards Heidelberg, B37 towards „Neuenheim/Universitätsklinikum“. After crossing the Neckar turn right on the first traffic light into „Jahnstraße“, then right into street „Neuenheimer Feld“. On the opposite site oft he „Medizinische Klinik“ there is a parking garage.