Results ACS Out of the Box Grants 2024

The results of the ACS Out of the Box (OOTB) grant were announced during our Annual symposium on December 12th 2024. We are very happy to share the great news that two projects have been awarded the ACS OOTB grant 2024 worth €50,000 per grant.

The ACS Out of the Box (OOTB) grant is for ACS researchers who want to start a new translational collaboration within ACS, for example between preclinical and clinical researchers, and use this grant to strengthen grant application(s) in the near future. This year, ACS received thirteen applications.

The following two projects have been awarded:

Marc Hilhorst and Annette Neele

Patients with chronic kidney disease have an elevated risk for cardiovascular mortality, possibly due to chronic inflammation. Monocytes and macrophages are key in atherosclerosis progression, the main underlying cause of CVD. Foamy macrophages are at the center of atherosclerotic plaque formation and TREM2, a receptor associated with foamy macrophages is crucial, as knockout reduces plaque stability. Importantly, we recently also found TREM2+ macrophages in the kidneys of patients with glomerulonephritis, likely due to lipid uptake from tubular damage caused by proteinuria. We hypothesize that proteinuria increases TREM2 expression in circulating monocytes and macrophages in the kidney of patients with high proteinuria levels thereby contributing to kidney fibrosis and disease progression.

Annette Neele receiving the award from ACS directors Ronak Delewi and Menno de Winther

Nimrat Grewal and Arjan Houweling

This project aims to identify novel classes of genetic variants in established disease genes, as well as novel genes associated with thoracic aortopathies (TA) by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) on 130 patients young patients with TA without a previously identified genetic cause. We will integrate WGS data with advanced epigenomic datasets to explore un(der)studied genetic variation across the coding and non-coding regions of the genome, focusing on (1) regulatory elements; (2) deep intronic variants; (3) structural genetic variation. This innovative approach, supported by strong preclinical and clinical collaboration, will uncover novel risk factors and contribute to personalized treatment strategies.

Nimrat Grewal receiving the award from ACS directors Ronak Delewi and Menno de Winther

More information on the Out of the Box grant or application for 2025 visit this page: ACS Out of the Box Grant

Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences