Three panels spanning clinical cardiogenetics,
genetic research and experimental model systems.
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Department of Cardiology and Centre for Medical Genetics
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Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences – Department
of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Prof. Dr. Julie De Backer is a cardiologist and
clinical geneticist at Ghent University Hospital
and professor at Ghent University.
Her clinical and research interests focus on
Heritable Thoracic Aortic Diseases (HTAD),
including Marfan syndrome and related disorders,
as well as Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD).
Her translational research combines clinical
studies with genetically engineered animal models
to identify novel therapeutic targets and improve
the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management
of patients with inherited cardiovascular diseases.
She leads and participates in several international
multicentre studies and networks on topics such as
pregnancy and ageing in congenital heart disease
and played an active role in European Society for
Cardiology guideline development, having co-chaired
the 2020 ESC Guidelines on Adult Congenital Heart
Disease and the 2025 ESC Guidelines on Cardiovascular
Disease during Pregnancy.
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Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
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Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Prof. Dr. Lars Allan Larsen is professor of
Developmental Genetics at the University of Copenhagen.
His research focuses on the fundamental genetic
and molecular mechanisms underlying human embryonic
development and congenital disorders, with a
particular interest in cardiac development and
congenital heart disease (CHD).
His group combines human genetic studies with
functional approaches in cellular models, tissues,
and zebrafish to uncover novel disease genes and
regulatory mechanisms involved in embryonic development.
By integrating genetic discovery with functional
validation, his research aims to contribute to a
better understanding of the molecular basis of
congenital heart defects and other developmental
disorders.
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French Institute of Health and Medical Research
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Centre for CardioVascular and Nutrition Research
(C2VN, Marseille)
Dr. Sonia Stefanovic is a group leader at the
Centre for CardioVascular and Nutrition Research
at Aix-Marseille University.
Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms
underlying cardiac development and congenital
heart disease, with a particular interest in how
genetic, metabolic and environmental factors
interact during embryonic heart formation.
Her group combines mouse models, pluripotent
stem cell-derived cardiac organoids, and
state-of-the-art transcriptomic, epigenomic
and single-cell multi-omics approaches to
investigate gene regulatory networks and
epigenetic mechanisms.
Current research focuses on the impact of maternal
pregestational diabetes on fetal heart development
and the role of gene–environment interactions in
congenital heart defects.
