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ERC Advanced Grant awarded to Prof. Andy Baker

ERC Advanced Grant awarded to Prof. Andy Baker

15 April 2024

Prof. Andy Baker (Dept of Pathology) has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant of €2,5M for his research project PolymiRize: Poly-miRNA targeting to prevent and reverse complex tissue remodelling after acute cardiovascular events'.

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Longer and better lives for patients with atrial fibrillation

Longer and better lives for patients with atrial fibrillation

15 April 2024

An international panel of experts published recommendations to improve management of atrial fibrillation (AF).

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Carim Maastricht
Carim Maastricht

Christian Weber

Professor

Prof. Christian Weber is the Chair in Vascular Medicine and the Director of the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Germany, and Professor at the CARIM. After graduating and completing his training in internal medicine at LMU and Harvard Medical School, Boston, he was board-certified in clinical cardiology and appointed as a Chair in Molecular Cardiology at RWTH Aachen University. His group has a strong interest in the molecular interactions and patho-physiological functions of chemokines and immune cell subsets, as well as the role of microRNAs and their targets in vascular disease and atherosclerosis, while his clinical interests focus on developing novel biomarkers and biopharmaceuticals. He is the Spokesman of the DFG Collaborative Research Centre SFB1123 and coordinates the partner site Munich Heart Alliance in the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK). Among numerous awards, he is a double ERC Advanced Investigator Grant recipient and Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher with more than 560 publications and an h-index of 97. He serves as the Editor-in-Chiefof Thrombosis&Haemostasis, Senior Associate Editor of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis & Vascular Biology andco-founderofCarolusTherapeutics Inc. and Cartesio Therapeutics Inc.

  • Vascular Immunotherapy, German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (BMBF DZHK
  • MHA VD1.2), 2019-2020
  • Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), DFG Excellence Initiative, 2019-2026
  • ERC Advanced Grant °692511, PROVASC: Cell-specific vascular protection by CXCL12/CXCR4, 2016- 2022 ERC AdG
  • NIH 1R01HL122843, Molecular mechanisms linking CXCL12 to atherosclerosis, 2017-2020
  • DFG Collaborative Research Centre 1123 Atherosclerosis: new therapeutic targets, 2014-2022
Christian-weber

Department of Biochemistry
Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER Maastricht
PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht

  • 2021
    • Natarelli, L., Virgili, F., & Weber, C. (2021). SARS-CoV-2, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Noncoding RNAs: A Connected Triad. International journal of molecular sciences, 22(22), Article 12243. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222212243
    • He, Y. Y., Xie, X. M., Zhang, H. D., Ye, J., Gencer, S., van der Vorst, E. P. C., Doering, Y., Weber, C., Pang, X. B., Jing, Z. C., Yan, Y., & Han, Z. Y. (2021). Identification of Hypoxia Induced Metabolism Associated Genes in Pulmonary Hypertension. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12, Article 753727. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.753727
    • Gissler, M. C., Scherrer, P., Anto-Michel, N., Pennig, J., Hoppe, N., Funer, L., Hardtner, C., Stachon, P., Li, X. W., Mitre, L. S., Marchini, T., Madl, J., Wadle, C., Hilgendorf, I., von zur Muhlen, C., Bode, C., Weber, C., Lutgens, E., Wolf, D., ... Willecke, F. (2021). Deficiency of Endothelial CD40 Induces a Stable Plaque Phenotype and Limits Inflammatory Cell Recruitment to Atherosclerotic Lesions in Mice. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 121(11), 1530-1540. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1397-1858
    • von Hundelshausen, P., Lorenz, R., Siess, W., & Weber, C. (2021). Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT): Targeting Pathomechanisms with Bruton Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 121(11), 1395-1399. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1481-3039
    • Hinterdobler, J., Schott, S., Jin, H., Meesmann, A., Steinsiek, A. L., Zimmermann, A. S., Wobst, J., Muller, P., Mauersberger, C., Vilne, B., Baecklund, A., Chen, C. S., Moggio, A., Braster, Q., Molitor, M., Krane, M., Kempf, W. E., Ladwig, K. H., Hristov, M., ... Sager, H. B. (2021). Acute mental stress drives vascular inflammation and promotes plaque destabilization in mouse atherosclerosis. European Heart Journal, 42(39), 4077-4088. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehab371
    • Schober, A., Blay, R. M., Maleki, S. S., Zahedi, F., Winklmaier, A. E., Kakar, M. Y., Baatsch, I. M., Zhu, M. Y., Geissler, C., Fusco, A. E., Eberlein, A., Li, N., Megens, R. T. A., Banafsche, R., Kumbrink, J., Weber, C., & Nazari-Jahantigh, M. (2021). MicroRNA-21 Controls Circadian Regulation of Apoptosis in Atherosclerotic Lesions. Circulation, 144(13), 1059-1073. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.051614
    • Duan, R. D., Goldmann, L., Brandl, R., Spannagl, M., Weber, C., Siess, W., & von Hundelshausen, P. (2021). Effects of the Btk-Inhibitors Remibrutinib (LOU064) and Rilzabrutinib (PRN1008) With Varying Btk Selectivity Over Tec on Platelet Aggregation and in vitro Bleeding Time. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 8, Article 749022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2021.749022
    • van der Vorst, E. P. C., Pepe, M. A. A., Peters, L. J. F., Haberbosch, M., Jansen, Y., Naumann, R., Stathopoulos, G. T., Weber, C., & Bidzhekov, K. (2021). Correction to: Transcriptome signature of miRNA-26b KO mouse model suggests novel targets. BMC Genomic Data, 22(1), Article 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-021-00990-3
    • Davidson, S. M., Padro, T., Bollini, S., Vilahur, G., Duncker, D. J., Evans, P. C., Guzik, T., Hoefer, I. E., Waltenberger, J., Wojta, J., & Weber, C. (2021). Progress in cardiac research: from rebooting cardiac regeneration to a complete cell atlas of the heart. Cardiovascular Research, 117(10), 2161-2174. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvab200
    • Bosmans, L. A., Shami, A., Atzler, D., Weber, C., Goncalves, I., & Lutgens, E. (2021). Glucocorticoid induced TNF receptor family-related protein (GITR)-A novel driver of atherosclerosis. Vascular Pharmacology, 139, Article 106884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vph.2021.106884
    • Yan, Y., Thakur, M., van der Vorst, E. P. C., Weber, C., & Doering, Y. (2021). Targeting the chemokine network in atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis, 330, 95-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2021.06.912
    • Evans, P., Wojta, J., Hoefer, I. E., Waltenberger, J., Guzik, T., Badimon, L., Weber, C., & Council of Basic Cardiovascular Science (2021). The year in basic vascular biology research: from mechanoreceptors and neutrophil extracellular traps to smartphone data and omics. Cardiovascular Research, 117(8), 1814-1822. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvab105
    • van der Vorst, E. P. C., Pepe, M. A. A., Peters, L. J. F., Haberbosch, M., Jansen, Y., Nauman, R., Stathopoulos, G. T., Weber, C., & Bidzhekov, K. (2021). Transcriptome signature of miRNA-26b KO mouse model suggests novel targets. BMC Genomic Data, 22(1), Article 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-021-00976-1
    • Lacy, M., Buerger, C., Shami, A., Ahmadsei, M., Winkels, H., Nitz, K., van Tiel, C. M., Seijkens, T. T. P., Kusters, P. J. H., Karshovka, E., Prange, K. H. M., Wu, Y., Brouns, S. L. N., Unterlugauer, S., Kuijpers, M. J. E., Reiche, M. E., Steffens, S., Edsfeldt, A., Megens, R. T. A., ... Lutgens, E. (2021). Cell-specific and divergent roles of the CD40L-CD40 axis in atherosclerotic vascular disease. Nature Communications, 12(1), Article 3754. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23909-z
    • Egea, V., Kessenbrock, K., Lawson, D., Bartelt, A., Weber, C., & Ries, C. (2021). Let-7f miRNA regulates SDF-1α- and hypoxia-promoted migration of mesenchymal stem cells and attenuates mammary tumor growth upon exosomal release. Cell Death & Disease, 12(6), Article 516. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-021-03789-3
    • Sundararaman, S. S., Peters, L. J. F., Jansen, Y., Gencer, S., Yan, Y., Nazir, S., Marquez, A. B., Kahles, F., Lehrke, M., Biessen, E. A. L., Jankowski, J., Weber, C., Doering, Y., & van der Vorst, E. P. C. (2021). Adipocyte calcium sensing receptor is not involved in visceral adipose tissue inflammation or atherosclerosis development in hyperlipidemic Apoe(-/-) mice. Scientific Reports, 11(1), Article 10409. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89893-y
    • Santovito, D., & Weber, C. (2021). Not all myocardial infarctions are created equal: The potential of circulating microRNAs to discern coronary artery dissection. EBioMedicine, 67, Article 103366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103366
    • Gencer, S., Doering, Y., Jansen, Y., Bayasgalan, S., Schengel, O., Mueller, M., Peters, L. J. F., Weber, C., & van der Vorst, E. P. C. (2021). Adipocyte-Specific ACKR3 Regulates Lipid Levels in Adipose Tissue. Biomedicines, 9(4), Article 394. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9040394
    • Krammer, C., Kontos, C., Dewor, M., Hille, K., Dalla Volta, B., El Bounkari, O., Tas, K., Sinitski, D., Brandhofer, M., Megens, R. T. A., Weber, C., Schultz, J. R., Bernhagen, J., & Kapurniotu, A. (2021). A MIF-Derived Cyclopeptide that Inhibits MIF Binding and Atherogenic Signaling via the Chemokine Receptor CXCR2. Chembiochem, 22(6), 1012-1019. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202000574
    • Henderson, J. M., Weber, C., & Santovito, D. (2021). Beyond Self-Recycling: Cell-Specific Role of Autophagy in Atherosclerosis. Cells, 10(3), Article 625. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10030625
    • Natarelli, L., Parca, L., Mazza, T., Weber, C., Virgili, F., & Fratantonio, D. (2021). MicroRNAs and Long Non-Coding RNAs as Potential Candidates to Target Specific Motifs of SARS-CoV-2. Non-coding RNA, 7(1), Article 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/ncrna7010014
    • Santovito, D., Toto, L., De Nardis, V., Marcantonio, P., D'Aloisio, R., Mastropasqua, A., De Cesare, D., Bucci, M., Paganelli, C., Natarelli, L., Weber, C., Consoli, A., Mastropasqua, R., & Cipollone, F. (2021). Plasma microRNA signature associated with retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. Scientific Reports, 11(1), Article 4136. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83047-w
    • Gencer, S., Evans, B. R., van der Vorst, E. P. C., Doring, Y., & Weber, C. (2021). Inflammatory Chemokines in Atherosclerosis. Cells, 10(2), Article 226. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10020226
    • Alexander, Y., Osto, E., Schmidt-Trucksass, A., Shechter, M., Trifunovic, D., Duncker, D. J., Aboyans, V., Back, M., Badimon, L., Cosentino, F., De Carlo, M., Dorobantu, M., Harrison, D. G., Guzik, T. J., Hoefer, I., Morris, P. D., Norata, G. D., Suades, R., Taddei, S., ... Evans, P. C. (2021). Endothelial function in cardiovascular medicine: a consensus paper of the European Society of Cardioloy working Groups on Artherosclerosis and Vascular Biology, Aorta and Perirpheral Vascular Diseases, Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation, and Thrombosis. Cardiovascular Research, 117(1), 29-42. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvaa085
    • Lip, G. Y. H., Rigby, A., & Weber, C. (2021). Looking Back on 2020, Looking Forward to 2021. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 121(01), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1722198
    • Weber, C., Rigby, A., & Lip, G. Y. H. (2021). Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2020 Editors' Choice Papers. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 121(01), 109-114. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1722171
  • 2020
    • Kontos, C., El Bounkari, O., Krammer, C., Sinitski, D., Hille, K., Zan, C., Yan, G., Wang, S., Gao, Y., Brandhofer, M., Megens, R. T. A., Hoffmann, A., Pauli, J., Asare, Y., Gerra, S., Bourilhon, P., Leng, L., Eckstein, H.-H., Kempf, W. E., ... Bernhagen, J. (2020). Designed CXCR4 mimic acts as a soluble chemokine receptor that blocks atherogenic inflammation by agonist-specific targeting. Nature Communications, 11(1), Article 5981. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19764-z
    • Hamid, S. M., Citir, M., Terzi, E. M., Cimen, I., Yildirim, Z., Dogan, A. E., Kocaturk, B., Onat, U. I., Arditi, M., Weber, C., Traynor-Kaplan, A., Schultz, C., & Erbay, E. (2020). Inositol-requiring enzyme-1 regulates phosphoinositide signaling lipids and macrophage growth. Embo Reports, 21(12), Article 51462. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202051462
    • Santovito, D., Egea, V., Bidzhekov, K., Natarelli, L., Mourao, A., Blanchet, X., Wichapong, K., Aslani, M., Brunssen, C., Horckmans, M., Hristov, M., Geerlof, A., Lutgens, E., Daemen, M. J. A. P., Hackeng, T., Ries, C., Chavakis, T., Morawietz, H., Naumann, R., ... Weber, C. (2020). Autophagy unleashes noncanonical microRNA functions. Autophagy, 16(12), 2294-2296. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548627.2020.1830523
    • Evans, P. C., Rainger, G. E., Mason, J. C., Guzik, T. J., Osto, E., Stamataki, Z., Neil, D., Hoefer, I. E., Fragiadaki, M., Waltenberger, J., Weber, C., Bochaton-Piallat, M.-L., & Bäck, M. (2020). Endothelial dysfunction in COVID-19: a position paper of the ESC Working Group for Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology, and the ESC Council of Basic Cardiovascular Science. Cardiovascular Research, 116(14), 2177-2184. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvaa230
    • Gencer, S., Lacy, M., Atzler, D., van der Vorst, E. P. C., Doering, Y., & Weber, C. (2020). Immunoinflammatory, Thrombohaemostatic, and Cardiovascular Mechanisms in COVID-19. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 120(12), 1629-1641. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1718735
    • Kiouptsi, K., Pontarollo, G., Todorov, H., Braun, J., Jaeckel, S., Koeck, T., Bayer, F., Karwot, C., Karpi, A., Gerber, S., Jansen, Y., Wild, P., Ruf, W., Daiber, A., van der Vorst, E., Weber, C., Doering, Y., & Reinhardt, C. (2020). Germ-free housing conditions do not affect aortic root and aortic arch lesion size of late atherosclerotic low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice. Gut Microbes, 11(6), 1809-1823. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2020.1767463
    • Bartelt, A., & Weber, C. (2020). Mitochondrial Ejection for Cardiac Protection: The Macrophage Connection. Cell Metabolism, 32(4), 512-513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2020.09.014
    • Doring, Y., Noels, H., van der Vorst, E., & Weber, C. (2020). Seeing is repairing: how imaging-based timely interference with CXCR4 could improve repair after myocardial infarction. European Heart Journal, 41(37), 3576-3578. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa625
    • Shami, A., Atzler, D., Bosmans, L. A., Winkels, H., Meiler, S., Lacy, M., van Tiel, C., Megens, R. T., Nitz, K., Baardman, J., Kusters, P., Seijkens, T., Buerger, C., Janjic, A., Riccardi, C., Edsfeldt, A., Monaco, C., Daemen, M., de Winther, M. P. J., ... Lutgens, E. (2020). Glucocorticoid-induced tumour necrosis factor receptor family-related protein (GITR) drives atherosclerosis in mice and is associated with an unstable plaque phenotype and cerebrovascular events in humans. European Heart Journal, 41(31), 2938-2948. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa484
    • Peters, L. J. F., Biessen, E. A. L., Hohl, M., Weber, C., van der Vorst, E. P. C., & Santovito, D. (2020). Small Things Matter: Relevance of MicroRNAs in Cardiovascular Disease. Frontiers in physiology, 11, Article 793. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00793
    • Santovito, D., Egea, V., Bidzhekov, K., Natarelli, L., Mourao, A., Blanchet, X., Wichapong, K., Aslani, M., Brunssen, C., Horckmans, M., Hristov, M., Geerlof, A., Lutgens, E., Daemen, M. J. A. P., Hackeng, T. M., Ries, C., Chavakis, T., Morawietz, H., Naumann, R., ... Weber, C. (2020). Noncanonical inhibition of caspase-3 by a nuclear microRNA confers endothelial protection by autophagy in atherosclerosis. Science Translational Medicine, 12(546), Article 2294. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aaz2294
    • Ferdinandy, P., Koller, A., Weber, C., & Waltenberger, J. (2020). Postponement of Frontiers in Cardiovascular Biomedicine (FCVB) 2020 due to COVID-19: a look forward to 2021. Cardiovascular Research, 116(7), E78-E81. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvaa108
    • Rigby, A., Lip, G. Y. H., & Weber, C. (2020). Documenting Sex and Sex Differences in Animal Studies. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 120(6), 879-882. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1710017
    • Zhang, D., Ebrahim, M., Adler, K., Blanchet, X., Jamasbi, J., Megens, R. T. A., Uhland, K., Ungerer, M., Muench, G., Deckmyn, H., Weber, C., Elia, N., Lorenz, R., & Siess, W. (2020). Glycoprotein VI is not a Functional Platelet Receptor for Fibrin Formed in Plasma or Blood. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 120(6), 977-993. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1710012
    • Hinkel, R., Ramanujam, D., Kaczmarek, V., Howe, A., Klett, K., Beck, C., Dueck, A., Thum, T., Laugwitz, K.-L., Maegdefessel, L., Weber, C., Kupatt, C., & Engelhardt, S. (2020). AntimiR-21 Prevents Myocardial Dysfunction in a Pig Model of Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 75(15), 1788-1800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.02.041
    • Eckardt, V., Miller, M. C., Blanchet, X., Duan, R., Leberzammer, J., Duchene, J., Soehnlein, O., Megens, R. T. A., Ludwig, A.-K., Dregni, A., Faussner, A., Wichapong, K., Ippel, H., Dijkgraaf, I., Kaltner, H., Doering, Y., Bidzhekov, K., Hackeng, T. M., Weber, C., ... Mayo, K. H. (2020). Chemokines and galectins form heterodimers to modulate inflammation. Embo Reports, 21(4), Article 47852. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.201947852
    • Weber, C. (2020). The ESC Council on Basic Cardiovascular Science. European Heart Journal, 41(12), 1227-1230. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa189
    • Doering, Y., Jansen, Y., Cimen, I., Aslani, M., Gencer, S., Peters, L. J. F., Duchene, J., Weber, C., & van der Vorst, E. P. C. (2020). B-Cell-Specific CXCR4 Protects Against Atherosclerosis Development and Increases Plasma IgM Levels. Circulation Research, 126(6), 787-788. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.119.316142
    • van der Vorst, E. P. C., Daissormont, I., Aslani, M., Seijkens, T., Wijnands, E., Lutgens, E., Duchene, J., Santovito, D., Doering, Y., Halvorsen, B., Aukrust, P., Weber, C., Hoepken, U. E., & Biessen, E. A. L. (2020). Interruption of the CXCL13/CXCR5 Chemokine Axis Enhances Plasma IgM Levels and Attenuates Atherosclerosis Development. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 120(2), 344-347. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-3400746
    • Butt, E., Stempfle, K., Lister, L., Wolf, F., Kraft, M., Herrmann, A. B., Viciano, C. P., Weber, C., Hochhaus, A., Ernst, T., Hoffmann, C., Zernecke, A., & Frietsch, J. J. (2020). Phosphorylation-Dependent Differences in CXCR4-LASP1-AKT1 Interaction between Breast Cancer and Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Cells, 9(2), Article 444. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9020444
    • Adrover, J. M., Aroca-Crevillen, A., Crainiciuc, G., Ostos, F., Rojas-Vega, Y., Rubio-Ponce, A., Cilloniz, C., Bonzon-Kulichenko, E., Calvo, E., Rico, D., Moro, M. A., Weber, C., Lizasoain, I., Torres, A., Ruiz-Cabello, J., Vazquez, J., & Hidalgo, A. (2020). Programmed 'disarming' of the neutrophil proteome reduces the magnitude of inflammation. Nature Immunology, 21(2), 135-144. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-019-0571-2
    • Lip, G. Y. H., Rigby, A., & Weber, C. (2020). A Toast to the Last Decade and a Very Happy 2020 from Thrombosis and Haemostasis!Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 120(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-3402054
    • Tilstam, P., Soppert, J., Hemmers, C., Harlacher, E., Doering, Y., van der Vorst, E. P. C., Schulte, C., Alampour-Rajabi, S., Theelen, W., Asare, Y., de Winther, M. P. J., Lawrence, T., Bernhagen, J., Schober, A., Zernecke, A., Jankowski, J., Weber, C., & Noels, H. (2020). Non-activatable mutant of inhibitor of kappa B kinase α (IKKα) exerts vascular site-specific effects on atherosclerosis in Apoe-deficient mice. Atherosclerosis, 292, 23-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2019.10.023
    • Weber, C., Rigby, A., & Lip, G. Y. H. (2020). Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2019 Editor's Choice Papers. Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 120(1), 184-189. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-3402055
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