Menu

Latest news & events

Uyên Châu Nguyên wins UM Dissertation Prize 2025

Uyên Châu Nguyên wins UM Dissertation Prize 2025

29 January 2026

During the Dies Natalis of Maastricht University, Uyên Châu Nguyên received the UM Dissertation Prize 2025.

Read more
Global research network launched to study menopause and heart health

Global research network launched to study menopause and heart health

20 January 2026

Ten international health research funders, including the Dutch Heart Foundation, are investing $10 million in a new global research network to improve early prevention of cardiovascular disease in women. The initiative focuses on understanding how menopause affects heart health and how early intervention can reduce risk.

Read more
More newsMore events
Carim Maastricht
Carim Maastricht

Matthijs Blankesteijn

Associate professor

Dr Matthijs Blankesteijn is associate professor of Pharmacology and Principal Investigator at CARIM. He obtained Master degrees in Biology and Chemistry from the Radboud University Nijmegen (1988), followed by a PhD degree from the same university in 1993. He then joined the Pharmacology department of Maastricht University as a post-doc, and after a postdoctoral training in Harvard Medical School in Boston in 1997-1998 (supervisor Prof. V. Dzau), he returned to the Department of Pharmacology as a staff member. For his research, he has received funding from ZonMw, NHS and FES, including a Vidi grant in 2003. He has published over 60 Wi-1 papers with an average Impact Factor of 6.3 and Hirsch-index of 28. He was elected as Board member of the Dutch Society of Pharmacology in 2015.

Matthijs-blankesteijn

Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER Maastricht
PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht

  • 2010
    • van den Borne, S. W. M., Diez, J., Blankesteijn, W. M., Verjans, J., Hofstra, L., & Narula, J. (2010). Myocardial remodeling after infarction: the role of myofibroblasts. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 7(1), 30-37. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2009.199
  • 2009
    • van den Borne, S. W. M., van de Schans, V. A. M., Strzelecka, A. E., Vervoort-Peters, H. T. M., Lijnen, P. M., Cleutjens, J. P. M., Smits, J. F. M., Daemen, M. J. A. P., Janssen, B. J. A., & Blankesteijn, W. M. (2009). Mouse strain determines the outcome of wound healing after myocardial infarction. Cardiovascular Research, 84(2), 273-82. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvp207
  • 2008
    • van den Borne, S. W. M., Cleutjens, J. P. M., Hanemaaijer, R., Creemers, E. E., Smits, J. F. M., Daemen, M. J. A. P., & Blankesteijn, W. M. (2008). Increased matrix metalloproteinase-8 and -9 activity in patients with infarct rupture after myocardial infarction. Cardiovascular Pathology, 18(1), 37-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carpath.2007.12.012
  • 2007
    • van de Schans, V. A. M., van den Borne, S. W. M., Strzelecka, A. E., Janssen, B. J., van der Velden, J. L., Langen, R. C., Wynshaw Boris, A., Smits, J. F., & Blankesteijn, W. M. (2007). Interruption of Wnt Signaling Attenuates the Onset of Pressure Overload-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy. Hypertension, 49(3), 473-480. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.HYP.0000255946.55091.24
  • 2004
    • Schroen, B., Heymans, S., Sharma, U., Blankesteijn, W. M., Pokharel, S., Cleutjens, J. P. M., Porter, J. G., Evelo, C. T. A., Duisters, R., van Leeuwen, R. E. W., Janssen, B. J. A., Debets, J. J. M., Smits, J. F. M., Daemen, M. J. A. P., Crijns, H. J. G. M., Bornstein, P., & Pinto, Y. M. (2004). Thrombospondin-2 is essential for myocardial matrix integrity: increased expression identifies failure-prone cardiac hypertrophy. Circulation Research, 95(5), 515-522. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.RES.0000141019.20332.3e
    • De Celle, T., Cleutjens, J. P., Blankesteijn, W. M., Debets, J. J., Smits, J. F., & Janssen, B. J. (2004). Long-term structural and functional consequences of cardiac ischaemia-reperfusion injury in vivo in mice. Experimental Physiology, 89(5), 605-15. https://doi.org/10.1113/expphysiol.2004.027649
  • 2001
    • Blankesteijn, W. M., Creemers, E., Lutgens, E., Cleutjens, J. P., Daemen, M. J., & Smits, J. F. (2001). Dynamics of cardiac wound healing following myocardial infarction: observations in genetically altered mice. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica, 173(1), 75-82. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-201X.2001.00887.x
    • van Gijn, M. E., Snel, F., Cleutjens, J. P., Smits, J. F., & Blankesteijn, W. M. (2001). Overexpression of components of the Frizzled-Dishevelled cascade results in apoptotic cell death, mediated by beta-catenin. Experimental Cell Research, 265(1), 46-53. https://doi.org/10.1006/excr.2001.5174
  • 1999
    • Cleutjens, J. P., Blankesteijn, W. M., Daemen, M. J., & Smits, J. F. (1999). The infarcted myocardium: simply dead tissue, or a lively target for therapeutic interventions. Cardiovascular Research, 44(2), 232-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0008-6363(99)00212-6
Overview