Research focus

Origin of the alterations in contractile properties and energy utilisation by the mitochondria of cardiac muscle cells during heart failure; origin of skeletal muscle weakness resulting from alteration in cytoskeletal muscle proteins.

Ger Stienen received his MS degree in Experimental Physics at the Radboud University in Nijmegen in 1975. In 1981 he received his PhD degree in Physiology and worked from 1975 until 1985 as Research fellow/postdoc at the Department of Physiology of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). In 1985 he became staff member at the Laboratory for Physiology at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. Since 2006 he is Professor in Medical Physiology at VUmc/VU. He is Visiting Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Research, Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester (UK) and at the Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology of the University of Padua (Italy). From 2009 until 2013 he has been Programme director of the Cardiovascular Research Master of VUmc.

Other Experience and Professional Memberships: 1996-2004 Chairman European Society for Muscle Research; 2004- Treasurer European Society for Muscle Research; 1997-2004 Editor Journal of Physiology; Organiser and Chairman of Sessions of various International Conferences.

Member of: Nederlandse Fysiologen Vereniging; Physiological Society, UK; Nederlandse Vereniging voor Biofysica; Biophysical Society, USA; European Society for Muscle Research; American Heart Association; European Society for Cardiovascular Research.

Honors and Awards: 2005 Member external evaluation committee Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, University of Padua, Italy; 2007 Secretary external evaluation committee Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Movement Studies; 2013 Honorary doctorate University of Debrecen, Hungary.

Selection of recent publications

Wüst RCI, M Helmes and GJM Stienen (2015). Rapid changes in NADH and flavin autofluorescence in rat cardiac trabeculae reveal large mitochondrial complex II reserve capacity. Journal of Physiology 593(8): 1829-40.

Canato M, Scorzeto M, Giacomello M, Protasi F, Reggiani C, Stienen GJM. Massive alterations of SR free calcium in skeletal muscle fibers lacking calsequestrin revealed by a genetically encoded probe. Proc Natl Acad Sc USA 107: 22326-22331, 2010.

Scorzeto M, Giacomello M, Toniolo L, Canato M, Blaauw, B, Paolini C, Protasi, Reggiani C, Stienen GJM. Mitochondrial Ca2+-handling in fast skeletal muscle fibers from wild type and calsequestrin-null mice. Plos One 8(10):e74919, 2013.

de Man FS, van Hees HW, Handoko ML, Niessen HW, Schalij I, Humbert M, Dorfmüller P, Mercier O, Bogaard HJ, Postmus PE, Westerhof N, Stienen GJM, van der Laarse WJ, Vonk-Noordegraaf A, Ottenheijm CA. Diaphragm Muscle Fiber Weakness in Pulmonary Hypertension. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 183:1411-1418, 2010.

Lamberts RR, Onderwater G, Hamdani N, Vreden MJA, Steenhuisen J, Eringa EC, Loer SA, Stienen GJM, Bouwman RA. Reactive Oxygen Species-Induced Stimulation of 5’AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Mediates Sevoflurane-Induced Cardioprotection. Circulation 120, S10-S15, 2009.

Narolska NA, Piroddi N, Belus A, Boontje NM, Scellini B, Deppermann S, Zaremba R,  Musters RJ, dos Remedios C, Jaquet K, Foster DB, Murphy AM, van Eyk JE, Tesi C, Poggesi C, van der Velden J, Stienen GJM. Impaired diastolic function after exchange of endogenous troponin I with C-terminal truncated troponin I in human cardiac muscle. Circ Res 99, 1012-1020, 2006.