Belgian Heart Foundation

The Young Investigator Award with an associated prize of € 6,500 is given to individuals, whose research reflects new and relevant work in basic or clinical research in cardiology.

Past winners

2024

Basic Science: Lennert Minten – KU Leuven
Optimization of absolute coronary blood flow measurements to assess microvascular function in sheep: validation of hyperemia and higher infusion speeds

Clinical Science: Hanne Boen – U Antwerp
Dynamics of SerpinA3 in response to anthracycline treatment and cardiovascular dysfunction

2023

Basic Science: Géraldine Hubesch– ULB, Brussels
Right ventriculo-pulmonary arterial uncoupling in an experimental HFpEF in rats

Clinical Science: Matthias Engelen – University Hospitals Leuven
Modulation of thromboinflammation in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with aprotinin,

2022

Basic Science: Justine Dontaine – UClouvain, Brussels
AMPK and O-GlcNAcylation: a new paradigm to protect the failing hypertrophic heart

Clinical: Lennert Minten – University Hospitals Leuven
Does coronary lesion complexity and pre-procedural revascularization affect 5-year outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation?

2021

Basic Science: Isabel Witvrouwen, UZ Antwerp
Micrornas as predictors for exercise response in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Clinical Science: Simon Calle, UZ Ghent
A strain-based staging classification of left bundle branch block-induced cardiac remodeling

2020

Basic Science: Sander Trenson, UZ Leuven
Cardiac Microvascular Endothelial Cells in Pressure Overload-induced Heart Disease

Clinical Science: Jürgen Duchenne, UZ Leuven
Acute re-distribution of regional left ventricular work by cardiac resynchronization therapy 

2019

Basic Science: Kautbally Shakeel
Platelet acetyl-CoA carboxylase phosphorylation: a risk stratification marker evidencing platelet-lipid interplay in CAD patients

2018

Clinical Science

2017

Basic Science

2016

Clinical Science

2015

Basic Science: Peter Haemers

2014

Clinical Science

2013

Basic Science: Guido Claessen
Right ventricular fatigue developing during endurance exercise: a real-time exercise cardiac magnetic resonance imaging study 2012 Clinical Science

2011

Basic Science: Ward Heggermont, KU Leuven
Micro-RNA 146a: a new kid on the block in the pathophysiology of cardiac hypertension, and an interesting therapeutic target

2010

Clinical Science: Alexandre Van De Bruaene, KU Leuven
Iron deficiency in patients with Eisenmenger’s syndrome: does it affect outcome, is oral anticoagulation involved and can there be too

2009

Basic Science: Jozef Van Herck, UZ Antwerpen
Impaired elastin function promotes features of plaque instability in ApoE-deficient mice

2008

Clinical Science: An Van Berendoncks, UZ Antwerpen
Circulating adiponectin levels in patients with chronic heart failure. The effect of exercise training

2007

Basic Science: Pieter-Jan Guns, UZ Antwerpen
Paraoxonase 1 gene transfer lowers vascular oxidative stress and improves endothelial cell function in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice with pre-existing atherosclerosis

2006

Clinical Science: Johan Saenen, UZ Antwerpen
Multi-level study of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the Long QT Syndrome

2005

2004

Katrien Lemmens

2003

Stefan Heymans

2002

Christophe Beauloye

The Doctor Léon Dumont Prize of €40,000 is awarded every two years to an European researcher in cardiovascular medicine for clinical and experimental research projects. 

Past winners

2024

Andreas Gevaert – UZA
Exercise phenotypes to accelerate the personalized treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

2022

Guido Claessen – UZ Leuven
PROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF CARDIAC REMODELING IN YOUNG COMPETITIVE ATHLETES – IDENTIFICATION OF GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS (PRO@HEART). THE PROSPECTIVE ATHLETE’S HEART (PRO@HEART) STUDY

2020

Luc Bertrand – UCLouvain
Importance of protein O-GlcNAcylation in cardiac hypertrophy development

Sandrine Horman – UCLouvain
Limiting platelet lipid synthesis: a defense mechanism against atherothrombosis in coronary artery disease

The prize is awarded to non-commercial projects for basic research in the field of cardiovascular pathology. This research encompasses scientific disciplines such as biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology and their interplay, and involves laboratory studies with cell cultures, animal studies or physiological experiments. Patients are not in the centre of the study but biological samples (e.g. blood) can be used for this purpose.

Past winners

2024

Bert Callewaert, UGent
Characterizing the spatiotemporal transcriptional landscape of neural crest cell lineages in a zebrafish model for Myhre syndrome

Seyedehsamaneh Ekhteraeitousi, KU Leuven
Deciphering Molecular Pathways of Hypoxia Sensitivity in Adult Cardiomyocytes: An Integrative Cross-Species Investigation

Ilse Luyckx, UAntwerpen
Identification of cell-specific disease genes for bicuspid aortic valve-related aortopathy by transcriptome-wide spatial profiling of a representative Smad6 mutant mouse model

2023

Patrick Sips, Ghent University
Exploring the cell-specific mechanisms of aortic disease using fibrillin-1 mutant mouse models

Didier Communi, ULB
Role of adiponectin and PD-L1 in the release of cardioprotective exosomes

Laurent Bultot, UCLouvain
Study of the molecular mechanisms linking protein acetylation and diabetic cardiomyopathy development

Alice Marino, UCLouvain
Myo-inositol/SMIT1 axis: a novel pathway to prevent of treat heart failure

2022

Aernout Luttun, KU Leuven
STUDY OF THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING CARDIOMYOPATHY CAUSED BY TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR PR DOMAIN CONTAINING 16 (PRDM16) DEFICIENCY IN CARDIOMYOCYTES AND NON-CARDIOMYOCYTE CELL TYPES

2021

Jolanda van Hengel, UGhent
Generation and characterization of three novel induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte lines as a model to study the pathophysiological mechanisms of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy

2020

An Zwijsen – KU Leuven Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Center for Molecular and Vascular Biology (CMVB)
Contribution of BMP-SMAD regulated biogenesis of microRNAs in organ-specific functions  of lymphatic endothelium

2019

Alaerts Maaike – UZ Antwerp
Promising novel approach to Brugada syndrome research: identification of genetic modifiers using genome and transcriptome analysis in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte model

The prize is awarded to non-commercial projects for clinical research in the field of cardiovascular pathology. The research must be centred on the patients and aimed to determine the role of medication, intervention, diagnosis, symptoms or prevention in the physiological or pathological processes of the cardiovascular system.

Past winners

2024

Guido Claessen, UZ Leuven
Assessment of polygenic background to explain the association between small heart size and low cardiac fitness (GEN@HEART)

Andreas Gevaert, UZA
ECSPAND: Exercise capacity improvement by Conduction System Pacing in heArt failure patieNts without compelling CRT inDication

Philip Moons, KU Leuven
Unraveling the role of retinal imaging as a clinical tool in evaluating accelerated aging in congenital heart disease

2023

Caroline Van De Heyning, Antwerp University Hospital
The value of 7-day rhythm surveillance as a novel tool for risk prediction in acute myocarditis

Ines Joye, GZA vzw Ziekenhuizen
Cardiac stereotactic radiation treatment for the ablation of ventricular tachycardia

Constantijn Franssen, Antwerp University Hospital
The incidence of cardiovascular events and revascularizations in patients treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Belgium

2022

Jan De Pooter, UZ Ghent
Conduction system pacing: a bench and bedside study. Insights in cardiac conduction disease translated to novel pacing strategies

2021

Henri Gruwez, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg
SURGICAL-AF 2 study: The clinical impact of remote heart rhythm monitoring by photoplethysmography-based smartphone technology in the rehabilitation after cardiac surgery: A randomized, open-label, multicenter, pragmatic clinical trial

2020

An Van Berendoncks – Antwerp University Hospital  
Prevention of recurrence of hypertensive pregnancy disorders in women with active desire for pregnancy, a randomized controlled trial: a smartphone-based aerobic exercise training program during pregnancy versus usual care

2019

Christophe Vandenbriele – KU Leuven
Mechanical circulatory support: a complex process of thrombosis and haemostasis

The prize is awarded to non-commercial projects in the field of cardio-oncology. The research can be centred on basic insights in cardio-oncology or cover broad aspects related to the clinical practice.

Past winners

2022

Lucas Van Aelst, UZ Leuven
PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF HEPCIDIN, A PIVOTAL ENDOGENOUS REGULATOR OF IRON METABOLISM, ON ANTHRACYCLINE-INDUCED CARDIOTOXICITY

2021

Gilles De Keulenaer, Antwerp University
Cardiovascular disease and cancer are linked through the NRG1/ERBB3 signaling system

2020

Emeline Van Craenenbroeck – UZ Antwerp
Discovering the role of titin (TTN) in anthracycline-induced cardiac dysfunction in breast cancer.

The call is made for the first time and concerns non-commercial research projects in the field of sports cardiology and in the field of sudden cardiac death related to physical activities. The research can be centred on basic insights, or cover broad aspects related to the clinical practice.

Past winners

2022

Wendy Hens, UZ Antwerp
ECCENTRIC OVERLOAD TRAINING IN ADDITION TO A TRADITIONAL CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAMME: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO EVALUATE EFFECTIVENESS AND FEASIBILITY IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION

2021

An Van Berendoncks, UZ Antwerp
Supervised home-based combined endurance resistance exercise training programme in asymptomatic adult patients with congenital heart disease. A prospective randomised-controlled trial to evaluate effectiveness, safety and quality of life

 

This prize is awarded to non-commercial projects for clinical research in the field of cardiovascular pathology.
The research must be centred on the patients and aimed to explore the benefit of interventions (medical or non-medical) in patients with cardiovascular disease.
The research should have a multicentre study design with randomisation between intervention and control.
The research has to be carried out in at least two Belgian institutions, or more.

Past winners

2024

Emeline Van Craenenbroeck, UZ Antwerp
Cardiac Contractility Modulation in Dilated Cardiomyopathy: an exploratory study on the changes in myocardial metabolic profile, in partnership with the Fund for Cardiac Surgery

2023

Wilfried Mullens, UZ Antwerp
Renal-based optimization of Quadruple therapy in patients with Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction (ReQUAD-HF): a prospective, multicentre, international randomised-controlled trial, in partnership with the Fund for Cardiac Surgery

With the support of