Dr. Ron de Winter (UMC Utrecht), Professor Dr. Linda van Laake (UMC Utrecht) and Professor Dr. Wolfram Zimmermann (UMC Göttingen)

On August 8th, newly appointed Professor Dr. Linda van Laake from the UMC Utrecht Heart & Lungs Division, alongside Dr. Ron de Winter from U-TRIAL, visited Professor Dr. Wolfram Zimmermann and Dr. Lothar Germeroth. Professor Zimmermann works at  the University Medical Center Göttingen's Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr.  Germeroth is Executive Chairman of the biotech company Repairon, in Göttingen, Germany. 

The purpose of this visit was to explore UMC Utrecht’s potential involvement as a participating site in the ongoing BioVAT-HF study. This groundbreaking interventional study, sponsored by the Georg-August University, investigates the use of heart muscle patches derived from human pluripotent stem cells using Repairon's proprietary technology to treat patients with severe heart dysfunction.

During the discussions, Prof. van Laake highlighed the expertise and resources UMC Utrecht can bring to the project. The study's goal of evaluating the effectiveness of these heart muscle patches in treating advanced heart failure aligns perfectly with UMC Utrecht’s focus areas of Regenerative Medicine and Circulatory Health. Dr. de Winter emphasized that U-TRIAL will fully support Prof. van Laake in integrating the study into UMC Utrecht, handling all necessary ethical approvals, contracts, budgets, and legal matters.

Prof. Zimmermann and Dr. Germeroth were equally excited, expressing their joy at UMC Utrecht's interest.  They are committed to working together towards UMC Utrecht becoming a participating site by the end of this year. If all preparations proceed smoothly, the first patient could be enrolled at the UMC Utrecht site by June 2025.

While it will take some time to fully realize the potential of stem cell-derived heart muscle patches, UMC Utrecht's involvement significantly boosts the chances of accelerating these important findings. We look forward to announcing UMC Utrecht’s official participation in the BioVAT-HF study in the near future.