Over 200 cardiovascular researchers from Leiden and Amsterdam gathered in Noordwijkerhout on the 18th of November to attend the 13th Rembrandt Symposium. This yearly event is meant to exchange the latest cardiovascular research findings and stimulate collaborations between Amsterdam and Leiden. For the first time in three years we were able to see eachother in person again on site.

The Rembrandt Symposium is dedicated to promote the exchange of recent research findings. All researchers who submitted an abstract present their work in oral and blitz presentations, either plenary or parallel. 6 young researchers were selected for an oral talk in the Sorbonne room, and others were given the opportunity to present their work in an oral parallel or blitz session. Parallel sessions were organized in the themes Atherosclerosis, Vascular Biology & Homeostasis and Metabolism & Cardiac Diseases. In between sessions, there was the opportunity to network, socialize and enjoy a good cup of coffee or tea. Importantly, all participants could enjoy a pleasant lunch with good sandwiches, wraps and soup.

Keynote lectures were given by prof. Patrick Rensen (LUMC) about energy expenditure in cardiometabolic diseases and prof. Folkert Asselbergs (Amsterdam UMC) about AI in cardiology.

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Lunch
Borrel

The day ended with an award session for the speakers at the symposium, the HeART in science award and the Rembrandt PhD grant. For the HeART in Science award, researchers could submit an image or photograph with both scientific as well as aesthetic value. The Rembrandt Grant is meant to stimulate collaboration between the two cities, and researchers from Amsterdam UMC and LUMC had to submit collaborative a project together: the PhD student from the grant will be settled in an interconnected PhD program taking place in both Leiden and Amsterdam.

The award winners are announced below:

Rembrandt Grant
Monika Gladka (Amsterdam UMC) & Anke Smits (LUMC): Employing human models to study cardioprotection post-infarction

Annette Neele (Amsterdam UMC) & Sander Kooijman (LUMC): Inhibition of dehydrocholesterol reductase 24 (DHCR24) as a novel strategy to combat atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Best plenary oral presentation
Ricky Siebeler (Amsterdam UMC): The histone demethylase KDM3A modulates macrophage pro-inflammatory phenotype in atherosclerosis

Best parellel oral presentation
Virginia Smit (LACDR): Single-cell profiling of age-associated immunity in murine atherosclerosis

José Inia (LUMC): Semaglutide has beneficial effects on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in LDLr-/- Leiden mice

Lieve van der Maarel (Amsterdam UMC): Disruption of a long-range regulatory mechanism on Ch4q25 underlies sinoatrial node dysfunction and induces ectopic Pitx2 expression in the sinoatrial node

Best blitz
presentation
Robin van Eenige (LUMC): Combined glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonism attenuates atherosclerosis severity in APOE*3- Leiden,CETP mice

Sabine van der Horst (LUMC): Prevalence and Predictors of Non-Adherence to Direct Oral Anticoagulant Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation, a Historical Cohort Study

Sha Chen (Amsterdam UMC): SGLT2 inhibitor Empagliflozin reduces infarct size independent of SGLT2

HeART in Science
Max Grönloh (Amsterdam UMC)

Image by Max Grönloh
Image by Max Grönloh