Joost Sluijter

Full Professor

Strategic program(s):

Biography

Prof Joost Sluijter is a Medical Biologist and got his PhD in 2004 at the University Utrecht on “Collagen turnover in arterial disease”. After being a postdoctoral research fellow at Indiana University-Purdue University (IUPUI), he returned to the University Medical Centre Utrecht (the Netherlands) in 2006. In his research group, they focus on stimulating cardiac regeneration, thereby using approaches that can lead to improved recovery of cardiac tissue upon injury. In recent years, they identified miRNAs that can push cell lineage specifications and how they could improve progenitor cell transplantation, specifically improving local delivery and cell retention. In this work, they have started to use 3D-bioprinting and advanced technologies of cardiac tissue engineering. His group substantially improved cell delivery to the myocardium, from which they also realized that most of the injected cell action was due to the potential paracrine actions. They therefore started to study the use of secreted vesicles by these cells as a novel approach to induce cardiac repair.

Prof Joost Sluijter is heading the Experimental Cardiology Laboratory and is nucleus member of the Regenerative Medicine program of the UMCU, he is nucleus member of the ESC working groups Cellular Biology of the Heart and Cardiovascular Regenerative & Reparative Medicine, has several editorial roles for journals, published >200 papers, and is awardee of an ERC consolidator grant.

Strategic program(s):

Contact

jsluijte@umcutrecht.nl

Pure profile

Research groups

Inherited heart disease (cardiogenetics)

Research aim

We aim to enhance patient and family lives impacted by inherited cardiomyopathies. Our efforts target gene and variant identification, disease mechanisms, factors influencing disease outcomes, therapy optimization, and exploration of novel therapies.

Go to group

Cardiac repair and regeneration

Research aim

Current available therapies for chronic heart diseases only alleviate symptoms and prevent the disease from becoming worse. We aim to improve our understanding and stimulate our natural potential for myocardial repair.

Go to group

Molecular science & therapy in heart failure

Research aim

Current available therapies for chronic heart diseases only alleviate symptoms and prevent the disease from becoming worse. We aim to improve our understanding of heart failure and develop new strategies for therapy.

Go to group

Recent publications

All publications

Living myocardial slices retain patient-specific features Jort S.A. van der Geest, Willem B. van Ham, Ernest Diez Benavente, Mohsin El Amrani, M. Mostafa Mokhles, Marish I.F.J. Oerlemans, Pieter A. Doevendans, Teun P. de Boer, Joost P.G. Sluijter, Linda W. van Laake, Vasco Sampaio-Pinto
JHLT Open, 2025, vol. 9

AAV6 vectors provide superior gene transfer compared to AAV9 vectors following intramyocardial administration Jianan Wang, Timo Jonker, Aina Cervera-Barea, Zhenyu Dong, Ruud N. Visser, Evelien E. Birza, Arie R. Boender, Mischa Klerk, Yuting Yang, Joyce Visser, Marlijn S. Jansen, Tom C. Grootswagers, Cindy I. Bart, Saskia C.A. de Jager, Silke Schrödel, Christian Thirion, Osne F. Kirzner, Hanno L. Tan, Antoine A.F. de Vries, Joost P.G. Sluijter, Klaus Neef, Joris R. de Groot, Vincent M. Christoffels, Gerard J.J. Boink
Molecular Therapy Methods and Clinical Development, 2025, vol. 33

Uncovering cell type-specific phenotypes using a novel human in vitro model of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy Jiabin Qin, Qiangbing Yang, Asier Ullate-Agote, Vasco Sampaio-Pinto, Laura Florit, Inge Dokter, Chrysoula Mathioudaki, Lotte Middelberg, Pilar Montero-Calle, Paula Aguirre-Ruiz, Joana de Las Heras Rojo, Zhiyong Lei, Zeping Qiu, Jin Wei, Pim van der Harst, Felipe Prosper, Manuel M Mazo, Olalla Iglesias-García, Monique C Minnema, Joost P G Sluijter, Marish I F J Oerlemans, Alain van Mil
Stem cell research & therapy, 2025, vol. 16

Characterization of human living myocardial slices culture-induced adaptations Jort S.A. van der Geest, Ernest Diez Benavente, Willem B. van Ham, Pieter A. Doevendans, Linda W. van Laake, Teun P. de Boer, Vasco Sampaio-Pinto, Joost P.G. Sluijter
Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology Plus, 2025, vol. 13

Engineering anti-BCMA CAR T cells for enhancing myeloma killing efficacy via apoptosis regulation Thomas Kimman, Marta Cuenca, Ralph G Tieland, Dedeke Rockx-Brouwer, Jasmijn Janssen, Benjamin Motais, Anne Slomp, Corine Pleijte, Sabine Heijhuurs, Angelo D Meringa, Wendy Boschloo, Douwe Mt Bosma, Sanne Kroos, Vania Lo Presti, Joost P G Sluijter, Stefan Nierkens, Niels Bovenschen, Jürgen Kuball, Alain van Mil, Monique C Minnema, Zsolt Sebestyén, Victor Peperzak
Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16

Erratum Renee G.C. Maas, Soah Lee, Magdalena Harakalova, Christian J.B. Snijders Blok, William R. Goodyer, Jesper Hjortnaes, Pieter A.F.M. Doevendans, Linda W. Van Laake, Jolanda van der Velden, Folkert W. Asselbergs, Joseph C. Wu, Joost P.G. Sluijter, Sean M. Wu, Jan W. Buikema
STAR protocols, 2025, vol. 6

Fellowships & Awards

2004-2005 Interuniversity Institute of the Netherlands (ICIN)-fellowship
2007-2009 Novartis Foundation for Cardiovascular Excellence Grant
2008-2009 van Ruyvenstichting:
2009-2012 UMC Utrecht focus and mass area “cardiovascular research”
2010-2014 BMM-YIC
2011-2015 Translationeel Adult Stamcelonderzoek:
2012-2017 HUMAN STem cells for CArdiac REpair (HUSTCARE)
2014-2018 LSH Impuls: MIGRATE
2015-2017: BMM Smartcare2 – Smart microtissues for cardiac regeneration
2015-2019: Horizon 2020 – TECHNOBEAT (PHC-16-2015)
2015-2018: CAS-NWO Program; Cardiac cell therapy in a preclinical animal model for hereditary cardiomyopathy
2017-2022: Horizon 2020 - ERC-2016-CoG – 725229: EVICARE: Extracellular Vesicle-Inspired CArdiac Repair
2017-2019: Vrienden UMCU: “Innovatieve directe medicijnafgifte in het hart”
2018-2022 – Horizon 2020 Marie S. Curie, COFUND programme RESCUE: Local Training Network on REgenerative medicine and Stem Cell technology in UtrEcht
2018-2021: Technology Of Protein delivery through Extracellular Vesicles to target PCSK9 (TOP-EV), Dutch Heart Foundation
2019-2024: RegMed XB Cardiovascular Moonshot
2019-2024: Horizon 2020 BRAV3 (SC1-BHC-07-2019)
2020-2021: NL-PET - Next Level genome editing - efficient and precise correction of PLN/R14del using Prime Editing Technology. PLN foundation.
2021-2024: NWO-OTP - HARVEY; Heart vector-mediated gene therapy: towards a clinically applicable cure for inherited cardiomyopathies.
2021-2024: ZonMw - PSIDER - Multi-disciplimaire Consortia: From pluripotent stem cells to prime editing gene therapy for inherited cardiomyopathies.
2022-2026: Horizon-HLTH-2021-TOOL-06-02; HEAL - HLA-homozygous IPSC-cardiomyocyte aggregate manufacturing technologies for allogenic cell therapy to the heart.

External positions

External Expert Advisory Board of the ERA4Health CARDINNOV project AmnioSMART - advisory role for scientific progression consortium - ERA4Health

Nucleus member working group on Cardiovascular Regenerative & Reparative Medicine - vormgeven vakgebied ESC-WG - European Society Cardiology

Advisory board for ERC Starting and consolidator grants - advice for new applications - University Utrecht

Associate Editor of Journal of Cardiovascular Translational Research - Inhoudelijk beoordelen/managen van peer-reviewed werk voor Journal - Springer

Advisory Board van de Graduate School of Life Sciences University Utrecht - adviesraad GSLS voor masterprogramma UU studenten - University Utrecht

Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology - lidmaatschap - European Society of Cardiology

Nucleus member working group on Cellular Biology of the Heart - Adviserende rol om vakgebied verder te brengen - European Society of Cardiology

Lecturer teaching program of undergraduate students at the Faculty of Medicine, Utrecht University. - college geven en cursus coordinator - University Utrecht

Scientific reviewer for various journals - reviewing new manuscripts for various journals, incl circ/circ res/nat/science/NeJoM/JACC/CardRes et - diverse journals