Biography Wendy Aartsen

1997: Master’s in Molecular Pharmacology / Medical Biology, Free University, Amsterdam
2003: PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Maastricht
2004: Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Neuromedical Genetics, The Netherlands Institute for Neurosciences (NIN), Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam

Publications Wendy Aartsen

Expression of an inducible nitric oxide synthase gene in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss.
Laing KJ, Hardie LJ, Aartsen W, Grabowski PS, Secombes CJ.Dev. Comp. Immunol. 1999, 23: 71-85
 
Heart fatty acid binding protein and cardiac troponin T plasma concentrations as markers for myocardial infarction after coronary artery ligation in mice.
Aartsen WM, Pelsers MM, Hermens WT, Glatz JF, Daemen MJ, Smits JF.Eur. J. Physiol. 2000 439: 416-422
 
Dissociation of pulmonary vascular remodeling and right ventricular pressure in tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme-deficient mice under conditions of chronic alveolar hypoxia
van Suylen RJ, Aartsen WM, Smits JF, Daemen MJ.Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2001 163: 1241-1245
 
The role of locally expressed angiotensin converting enzyme in cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction in mice.
Aartsen WM, Schuijt MP, Danser AH, Daemen MJ, Smits JF.Cardiovasc. Res. 2002 56: 205-213
 
Changes in vascular distensibility during angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition involve bradykinin type 2 receptors.
Aartsen WM, Hilgers RH, Schiffers PM, Daemen MJ, De Mey JG, Smits JF.J. Vasc. Res. 2004 41: 18-27
 
Tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme in imposed and physiological flow-related arterial remodeling in mice.
Hilgers RH, Schiffers PM, Aartsen WM, Fazzi GE, Smits JF, De Mey JG.ATVB 2004 24: 892-897.
 
Mpp4 recruits Psd95 and Veli3 towards the photoreceptor synapse.
Aartsen WM, Kantardzhieva A, Klooster J, van Rossum AG, van de Pavert SA, Versteeg I, Cardozo BN, Tonagel F, Beck SC, Tanimoto N, Seeliger MW, Wijnholds J.Hum. Mo.l Genet. 2006 15:1291-302
 
Specific and sustained down-regulation of genes involved in fatty acid metabolism is not a hallmark of progression to cardiac failure in mice.
de Brouwer KF, Degens H, Aartsen WM, Lindhout M, Bitsch NJ, Gilde AJ, Willemsen PH, Janssen BJ, van der Vusse GJ, van Bilsen M.J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 2006 40: 838-845
 
Pals1/Mpp5 is required for correct localization of Crb1 at the subapical region in polarized Muller glia cells.
van Rossum AG, Aartsen WM, Meuleman J, Klooster J, Malysheva A, Versteeg I, Arsanto JP, Le Bivic A, Wijnholds J.Hum. Mol. Genet. 2006 15:2659-72
 
Towards understanding CRUMBS function in retinal dystrophies.
Richard M, Roepman R, Aartsen WM, van Rossum AG, den Hollander AI, Knust E, Wijnholds J, Cremers FP.Hum. Mol. Genet. 2006 Oct 15;15 Suppl 2:R235-43.
 
A single amino acid substitution (Cys249Trp) in Crb1 causes retinal degeneration and deregulates expression of pituitary tumor transforming gene Pttg1.
van de Pavert SA, Meuleman J, Malysheva A, Aartsen WM, Versteeg I, Tonagel F, Kamphuis W, McCabe CJ, Seeliger MW, Wijnholds J.J Neurosci. 2007 Jan 17;27(3):564-73.
 
Crb1 is a determinant of retinal apical Müller glia cell features.
van de Pavert SA, Sanz AS, Aartsen WM, Vos RM, Versteeg I, Beck SC, Klooster J, Seeliger MW, Wijnholds J.Glia. 2007 Nov 1;55(14):1486-97.
 
Psd95β is required for correct localisation of Mpp4 and plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPases at photoreceptor synapses.
Aartsen WM, Arsanto JP, Chauvin JP,Vos RM, Versteeg I, Nunes Cardozo B, Le Bivic A and Wijnholds J
Submitted.

Personal Interest

The reason I studied pharmacology is to work on the development of new therapies. Trying to optimise existing therapies or to establish a new cure for patients includes exciting research. My training in classical cardiovascular pharmacology is a good base which I extended with genetics and front-line biological approaches needed for gene therapy. A lot of multi-disciplinary research and organization is needed to develop a new strategy like gene therapy. The present goal with our team is to develop gene therapy for Crumbs (Crb1)-related eye diseases like retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA).