Healing Heart Fund

The Healing Heart Fund raises funds for scientific cardiovascular research at Maastricht University. In particular, the fund focuses on the groundbreaking stem cell research of Dr Rogier Veltrop (Biochemistry department, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases research group).

Dr Rogier Veltrop, like several of his family members, might not have survived. A rare hereditary heart condition nearly proved fatal to him on multiple occasions. Thanks to a donor heart, however, he was given a second chance. Out of profound gratitude, he has dedicated his life to one mission: finding a definitive solution for cardiovascular disease.

In Maastricht and internationally, Rogier has already made significant progress. Together with his team, he can now create beating 3D heart tissue based on a patient’s DNA. As a result, the ‘mini-heart’ in the laboratory increasingly resembles the real heart of a patient with genetic heart failure. By correcting defective genes, testing new medicines, simulating daily life in the lab, and working closely with patients, Rogier is closer than ever to truly understanding this disease. Each step brings us nearer to preventing—and ultimately curing—a condition that affects so many.

Yet before these innovations can be offered as treatments to patients, further research is required. That is why the Healing Heart Fund has been established. This fund supports the development of a sustainable line of research, enabling new ideas to be tested more quickly and to contribute directly to improved therapies for genetic heart failure. At its core, the fund is committed to enhancing the quality of life for patients living with heart failure.

Spending committee

A committee of experts advises and monitors the ambitions of the Healing Heart Fund. The members of this committee are:

• Mr. Prof. Dr. L. Schurgers (chairman);
• Mr. Prof. Dr. T. Hackeng;
• Mr. P. Veltrop.

The University Fund Limburg is responsible for the administration of the Healing Heart Fund.

Would you like more information about this fund?

If you have any questions, please contact the Limburg University Fund via info@ufl.nl.