Personalia
Frances Handoko-de Man, born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in 1982. Ph.D. from VU University. Assistant Professor of Pulmonary Hypertension Research at VU University Medical Centre.
L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellow (1 September – 30 November 2015)
The Effect of BMPR2-Mutation on Right Ventricular Adaptation in Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Research Question
Pulmonary hypertension is a chronic lung disease with a poor prognosis. Although the origin of the disease is located in the lungs, the majority of patients die of right heart failure. In this project, I postulate that genetic variations determines the adaptation of the right heart the increase in pressure in patients with pulmonary hypertension.
Project Description
The right heart its main function in the human body is to pump blood into the lungs for oxygenation. The pressure in the arteries of the lungs is normally very low. However, in patients with pulmonary hypertension this pressure is severely increased. The right heart has to face this increase in pressure every heart beat and has to adapt to preserve proper oxygenation. The adaptation of the right heart in patients with pulmonary hypertension is very variable, but closely determines prognosis. It is therefore of utmost importance to know which factors determine adaptation of the right heart in patients with pulmonary hypertension. In this project, I am going to investigate whether genetic variations in patients may explain the diverse responses of the right heart.
Selected Publications
1) Manders E, Bogaard HJ, Handoko ML, van de Veerdonk MC, Keogh A, Westerhof N, Stienen GJ, dos Remedios CG, Humbert M, Dorfmüller P, Fadel E, Guignabert C, van der Velden J, Vonk-Noordegraaf A, Ottenheijm CA, de Man FS. Contractile dysfunction of left ventricular cardiomyocytes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014: in press.
2) Rain S, Handoko ML, Trip P, Gan CT, Westerhof N, Stienen G, Paulus WJ, Ottenheijm CA, Marcus JT, Dorfmüller P, Guignabert C, Humbert M, MacDonald P, dos Remedios C, Postmus PE, Saripalli C, Hidalgo CG, Granzier HL, Vonk Noordegraaf A, van der Velden J, de Man FS. Right ventricular diastolic impairment in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Circulation 2013;128:2016-2025.
3) de Man FS, Handoko ML, Happé CM, Schalij I, Musters RJ, Westerhof N, Postmus PE, Paulus WJ, van der Laarse WJ, Vonk Noordegraaf A. Opposite effects of training in rats with stable and progressive pulmonary hypertension. Circulation. 2009;120:42-49.