Saskia de Jager

My research is positioned at the intersection of cardiac immunology, heart failure, and heart transplantation, with a focus on translational biomarker discovery and application. I aim to better understand how immune and inflammatory processes contribute to adverse cardiac remodeling, heart failure progression, and graft dysfunction, and how this knowledge can be translated into improved diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for patients.

A central theme in my work is the discovery and validation of molecular and cellular biomarkers in cardiovascular disease, including heart failure and transplantation. In recent years, my research has expanded toward ex situ heart perfusion, where we investigate biomarkers and real-time biosensing strategies to assess donor heart viability and predict post-transplant outcomes. By combining immunological readouts with advanced perfusion technologies, my aim is to promote safer organ use, better graft selection, and ultimately improve long-term outcomes for transplant recipients.

I strongly believe that team science and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential for impactful cardiovascular research. Working at disciplinary interfaces provides a major source of scientific inspiration and energy for me, and it is fundamental to how my research group functions.

Alongside my research activities, I have a strong commitment to education and academic mentorship. I am the Program Director of the Master’s program Cardiovascular Health and Disease at Utrecht University. Alongside program coordinators, teaching staff, and students, I consistently work on developing a cohesive, research-oriented program focused on cardiovascular disease. Through both my research and teaching, I aim to contribute to an interdisciplinary academic environment in which scientific excellence, collaboration, and training of the next generation professionals go hand in hand.