Jens Posma

Jens Posma, PhD Candidate at the department of Biochemistry (Maastricht University)

My name is Jens Posma and as PhD candidate I’ve been involved in the CVON Race V study. One of the aims of this consortium is to unravel the role of the coagulation system in the onset and progression of atrial fibrillation.

Our lab has a special interest in protease activated receptors (PARs, G-protein coupled receptor) due to their ability to bridge coagulation with various other processes involved in cardiovascular diseases, such as inflammation and fibrosis. Recently, novel mouse models have been developed to investigate the complex interaction between proteases of the coagulation system, protease activated receptors and processes involved in cardiovascular diseases.

The CVON Race V Young Talent Program gave me the opportunity to visit Prof. Nigel Mackman’s Lab in Chapel Hill (North Carolina USA) and set up a strong collaboration between his group and ours in order to apply the novel mouse models within the CVON consortium. These mouse models include full PAR KO’s and cell specific PAR KO’s (e.g. endothelial cell or cardiomyocyte specific PAR KO’s) but also mouse models in which the PAR receptor is mutated making it insensitive for some of its range of activators. The expertise in mouse models that Nigel Mackman brings to the table is an excellent addition to our expertise in the field of thrombosis and biomarkers. With this combined initiative, funded by the Young Talent Program,­ we will set up a mouse model of atrial fibrillation to study the role of the coagulation cascade in atrial fibrillation.