Dominik Linz

Professor

Prof Dominik Linz is a clinician-scientist who received his PhD from Maastricht University, The Netherlands, in 2013 (Prof. U. Schotten) and completed his Cardiology training in Homburg/Saar, Germany, in 2017 (Prof. M. Böhm). In 2017, he was recruited as an Associate Professor and clinical EP-fellow to Adelaide to initiate and drive a translational research programme focussing on atrial fibrillation and sleep disordered breathing at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and University of Adelaide (Prof. P. Sanders). Since 2019, Dr Dominik Linz is a Staff member and consultant clinician at the Heart+Vascular Center, Maastricht UMC+.

Over the past years Prof. Dominik Linz has developed a National and International reputation in the field of cardiac arrhythmia research. The focus of this work has been to understand the pathophysiology and mechanisms underlying atrial arrhythmias and the development of treatment approaches. This research has broadly included: (i) Work describing sleep apnoea associated electrophysiological changes in the atria increasing atrial fibrillation susceptibility. (ii) Description of antiarrhythmic effects of autonomic modulation by renal sympathetic denervation under different pathophysiological conditions. (iii) Work describing the role of the lysosomal carboxypeptidase cathepsin A in the development of an atrial arrhythmogenic substrates. Ongoing research is mainly focused on risk factor modification and preventive interventions for AF.

As of January 2024, Dominik Linz (Department of Cardiology) has been appointed as a professor at Maastricht University. The title of his position is 'Comprehensive Atrial Fibrillation Management.

Department of Cardiology

2019
- Thomas, D., Christ, T., Fabritz, L., Goette, A., Hammwoehner, M., Heijman, J., Kockskaemper, J., Linz, D., Odening, K. E., Schweizer, P. A., Wakili, R., & Voigt, N. (2019). German Cardiac Society Working Group on Cellular Electrophysiology state-of-the-art paper: impact of molecular mechanisms on clinical arrhythmia management. Clinical research in cardiology, 108(6), 577-599. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-018-1377-1
2017
- Hohl, M., Lau, D. H., Mueller, A., Elliott, A. D., Linz, B., Mahajan, R., Hendriks, J. M. L., Boehn, M., Schotten, U., Sanders, P., & Linz, D. (2017). Concomitant Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Add to the Atrial Arrhythmogenic Phenotype in Male Hypertensive Rats. Journal of the American Heart Association, 6(9), Article 006717. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.117.006717
- Lau, D. H., Linz, D., Schotten, U., Mahajan, R., Sanders, P., & Kalman, J. M. (2017). Pathophysiology of Paroxysmal and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: Rotors, Foci and Fibrosis. Heart Lung and Circulation, 26(9), 887-893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2017.05.119
- Spronk, H. M. H., De Jong, A. M., Verheule, S., De Boer, H. C., Maass, A. H., Lau, D. H., Rienstra, M., van Hunnik, A., Kuiper, M., Lumeij, S., Zeemering, S., Linz, D., Kamphuisen, P. W., ten Cate, H., Crijns, H. J., Van Gelder, I. C., van Zonneveld, A. J., & Schotten, U. (2017). Hypercoagulability causes atrial fibrosis and promotes atrial fibrillation. European Heart Journal, 38(1), 38-50. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehw119
2016
- Linz, D., Hohl, M., Dhein, S., Ruf, S., Reil, J.-C., Kabiri, M., Wohlfart, P., Verheule, S., Boehm, M., Sadowski, T., & Schotten, U. (2016). Cathepsin A mediates susceptibility to atrial tachyarrhythmia and impairment of atrial emptying function in Zucker diabetic fatty rats. Cardiovascular Research, 110(3), 371-380. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvw071
2015
- Linz, D., van Hunnik, A., Hohl, M., Mahfoud, F., Wolf, M., Neuberger, H.-R., Casadei, B., Reilly, S. N., Verheule, S., Boehm, M., & Schotten, U. (2015). Catheter-Based Renal Denervation Reduces Atrial Nerve Sprouting and Complexity of Atrial Fibrillation in Goats. Circulation-Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, 8(2), 466-U294. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCEP.114.002453
2014
- Linz, D., Hunnik, A. V., Ukena, C., Mahfoud, F., Ewen, S., Verheule, S., Böhm, M., & Schotten, U. (2014). Effects of renal denervation on atrial arrhythmogenesis. Future Cardiology, 10(6), 813-22. https://doi.org/10.2217/fca.14.43
- Linz, D., van Hunnik, A., Ukena, C., Ewen, S., Mahfoud, F., Schirmer, S. H., Lenski, M., Neuberger, H.-R., Schotten, U., & Boehm, M. (2014). Renal denervation: effects on atrial electrophysiology and arrhythmias. Clinical research in cardiology, 103(10), 765-774. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-014-0695-1
- Verheule, S., Eckstein, J., Linz, D., Maesen, B., Bidar, E., Gharaviri, A., & Schotten, U. (2014). Role of endo-epicardial dissociation of electrical activity and transmural conduction in the development of persistent atrial fibrillation. Progress in Biophysics & Molecular Biology, 115(2-3), 173-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2014.07.007
- Hohl, M., Ardehali, H., Azuaje, F. J., Breckenridge, R. A., Doehner, W., Eaton, P., Ehret, G. B., Fujita, T., Gaetani, R., Giacca, M., Hasenfuss, G., Heymans, S., Leite-Moreira, A. F., Linke, W. A., Linz, D., Lyon, A., Mamas, M. A., Oresic, M., Papp, Z., ... Maack, C. (2014). Meeting highlights from the 2013 European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Association Winter Meeting on Translational Heart Failure Research. European journal of heart failure, 16(1), 6-14. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejhf.10
2013
- Linz, D., Mahfoud, F., Schotten, U., Ukena, C., Neuberger, H.-R., Wirth, K., & Boehm, M. (2013). Effects of Electrical Stimulation of Carotid Baroreflex and Renal Denervation on Atrial Electrophysiology. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 24(9), 1028-1033. https://doi.org/10.1111/jce.12171
- Eckstein, J., Zeemering, S., Linz, D., Maesen, B., Verheule, S., van Hunnik, A., Crijns, H., Allessie, M. A., & Schotten, U. (2013). Transmural Conduction Is the Predominant Mechanism of Breakthrough During Atrial Fibrillation Evidence From Simultaneous Endo-Epicardial High-Density Activation Mapping. Circulation-Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, 6(2), 334-341. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCEP.113.000342
- Linz, D., Mahfoud, F., Schotten, U., Ukena, C., Hohl, M., Neuberger, H.-R., Wirth, K., & Bohm, M. (2013). Renal Sympathetic Denervation Provides Ventricular Rate Control But Does Not Prevent Atrial Electrical Remodeling During Atrial Fibrillation. Hypertension, 61(1), 225-231. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.111.00182
2012
- Linz, D., Mahfoud, F., Schotten, U., Ukena, C., Neuberger, H.-R., Wirth, K., & Boehm, M. (2012). Renal Sympathetic Denervation Suppresses Postapneic Blood Pressure Rises and Atrial Fibrillation in a Model for Sleep Apnea. Hypertension, 60(1), 172-178. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.112.191965
- Daniels, A., Linz, D., van Bilsen, M., Ruetten, H., Sadowski, T., Ruf, S., Juretschke, H.-P., Neumann-Haefelin, C., Munts, C., van der Vusse, G. J., & van Nieuwenhoven, F. A. (2012). Long-term severe diabetes only leads to mild cardiac diastolic dysfunction in Zucker diabetic fatty rats. European journal of heart failure, 14(2), 193-201. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjhf/hfr166
2011
- Linz, D., Schotten, U., Neuberger, H.-R., Boehm, M., & Wirth, K. (2011). Combined blockade of early and late activated atrial potassium currents suppresses atrial fibrillation in a pig model of obstructive apnea. Heart Rhythm, 8(12), 1933-1939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2011.07.018
- Linz, D., Schotten, U., Neuberger, H.-R., Boehm, M., & Wirth, K. (2011). Negative tracheal pressure during obstructive respiratory events promotes atrial fibrillation by vagal activation. Heart Rhythm, 8(9), 1436-1443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2011.03.053
- Eckstein, J., Maesen, B., Linz, D., Zeemering, S., van Hunnik, A., Verheule, S., Allessie, M., & Schotten, U. (2011). Time course and mechanisms of endo-epicardial electrical dissociation during atrial fibrillation in the goat. Cardiovascular Research, 89(4), 816-824. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvq336

Overview

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Dominik Linz

Professor