Marie-José Goumans is professor of cardiovascular cell biology at the department of cell and chemical biology at the LUMC. In 2009 Marie-José Goumans was accepted as a member of the Young Academie, the junior section of the Dutch Royal Academy of Sciences, consisting of the 50 most prominent scientist under 45 years of age). In 2004, she received a prestigious VIDI fellowship of the Netherlands Organisation of Science
The focus of the research is cardiovascular regeneration. We focus on cardiac (progenitor) cells and signal transduction pathways to develop new approaches to improve cardiovascular recovery upon injury or disease. Cells respond to growth signals from their environment and interaction between cells and the extracellular matrix is important for proper differentiation. We aim to unravel the signals that the embryo uses and translated that knowledge to ‘tissue engineer’ heart and vessels in a dish, improve (stem) cell transplantation, and stimulate endogenous repair.
The development of heart and blood vessels is a highly coordinated process. Optimal regulation of growth factor signalling is crucial for normal embryonic development, as well as normal physiology in adult life. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is one of the growth factor families important for the differentiation of stem cells into the building blocks of heart and blood vessels, both in a dish and in real life. Furthermore, mutations in the TGF-β signal transduction pathway underlie the hereditary cardiovascular disorders pulmonary arterial hypertensions and Rendu Osler Weber’s disease. Disturbed TGF-β signalling also contributes to fibrosis of the heart and the development of heart failure.