On the 19th of November 2021 the 12th Rembrandt Symposium was organized to exchange current (pre)clinical cardiovascular research ideas and initiate novel collaborations between Amsterdam and Leiden.

Although we all longed for an on-site Rembrandt Symposium, the new COVID-19 measures announced one week prior to the symposium decided otherwise. For the second year in a row, the Rembrandt Symposium was converted into a digital meeting. Nonetheless, we look back on an inspiring and successful day that was very well attended. A total of 230 cardiovascular researchers from Amsterdam and Leiden registered for this symposium and on average 150 participants (with a peak of 180) were online during the day.

Next to keynote lectures by prof. Connie Bezzina (Amsterdam UMC) and prof. Johan Kuiper (Leiden), plenary presentations were given by (pre)clinical researchers whose abstracts scored best. This year, parallel blitz sessions were organized during which (young) cardiovascular researchers who submitted an abstract were able to present their work in the field of vascular biology, thrombosis and stroke, arrhythmias, metabolic disease and structural heart disease. The day ended with many awardees who were announced by prof. Paul Quax during the award ceremony.

Save the date for the Rembrandt Symposium next year: 18th of November 2022!

Best Oral Presentation

Friso Rijnberg (LUMC)

Runners Up Best Oral Presentation

Thijs Sluiter (LUMC)
Arnout Mieremet (Amsterdam UMC)

Best Blitz Presentation

Vannessa Meyn (Amsterdam UMC)
Milou Stals (LUMC)
Marieke Nederend (LUMC)
Virginia Smit (LACDR)
Carmen Yap (Amsterdam UMC)
Fleur Zwanenburg (LUMC)

Rembrandt Grants

Two grants were available for cardiovascular projects. Each grant covers 1 position for a PhD student who will be working at both LUMC and Amsterdam UMC in order to stimulate collaboration between cardiovascular researchers from Leiden and Amsterdam. 

Dr. Monique Jongbloed and Dr. Bastiaan J. Boukens - RESHAPE study; Redirecting post-infarction sympathetic hyperactivity to prevent sudden cardiac death 

Dr. Frances S. de Man and Dr. Gonzalo Sánchez-Duffhues - Rejuvenating the heart in pulmonary arterial hypertension by targeting the bone morphogenetic protein 10

HeArt of Science Winners

1. Rudmer Postma (LUMC): Debts of Complexity

Figure Debts of Complexity

2. Vincent van Duinen and Lois van der Pluijm (LUMC): Bubblegum Biology

Figure Bubblegum Biology

3. Janine Konijn (Sanquin): Riding the wave of the vasculature

Riding the wave of the vasculature