Biography

Trained as a medical doctor and internist-nephrologist, and with a strong pre-clinical background, Marianne Verhaar consistently combines her clinical practice with extensive basic, translational, and clinical research. After her Cum Laude PhD in Vascular Biology and next to her work as consultant nephrologist, she established the research laboratory for Regenerative Nephrology and Vascular Biology within the department of Nephrology and Hypertension at the UMC Utrecht. In 2009, she was appointed as professor of Experimental Nephrology, and since 2014 she has assumed the position of head of the department of Nephrology and Hypertension at the UMC Utrecht. She is co-founder and current chair of the Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cells strategic programme, one of the six prominent "spearhead" programs implemented throughout UMC Utrecht. Additionally, she played a key part in initiating the successful Strategic Alliance in Regenerative Medicine (RM) between UMC Utrecht, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and Utrecht University (UU), and serves as the director of the collaborative Master’s Program RM and Technology, jointly offered by UMC Utrecht, TU/e and UU.

Verhaar is an internationally established researcher operating at the forefront of regenerative nephrology and integrating vascular biology. She has (co-)authored >350 peer-reviewed papers, and has received numerous research grants, including the prestigious NWO VENI, VIDI and ASPASIA grants, and two large NWO Translational Adult Stem cell (TAS) grants for her research into new applications for adult stem cells. With her guidance, 42 PhD students have completed their research and have gone on to hold diverse positions both nationally and internationally. Verhaar is internationally and highly respected for her contributions to the field. She serves as a member of key (inter)national committees, including the Scientific Advisory Board of the Dutch Kidney Foundation; the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Renal Association (ERA); and holds the chair position of the CME committee of the ERA. Furthermore, she serves as chair of the ‘Investments for the Future’ ANR evaluation committee, overseeing the selection process of French University Hospital Institutes. She is a frequently asked speaker and an elected member of AcademiaNet for Outstanding Female Scientists and Scholars; International Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA); and Distinguished Fellow of the European Renal Association (FERA).

Research

Verhaar’s research covers the complete spectrum from fundamental research to clinical trials. She leads a diverse, interdisciplinary team of ~40 researchers, committed to finding solutions for patients with cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease, particularly by developing new vascular and renal regenerative treatments. A recent breakthrough achieved by her team involves the successful generation of organoids derived from adult kidney tissue and cells isolated from human urine. These adult-derived human kidney organoids present a novel technology for modeling human kidney diseases. Furthermore, they serve as a unique resource for the generation of transplantable kidney tissue and the advancement of bioartificial kidney development. Verhaar's research group is actively involved in the development of innovative technology to enable the realization of an implantable (bio)artificial kidney that offers more effective, physiological, and affordable functional kidney replacement therapy than currently  existing options. Collaborating with the Dutch Kidney Foundation, multiple academic centers, and private partners, Verhaar's group has successfully developed a prototype for a portable artificial kidney that is scheduled to undergo testing in a first-in-human clinical trial in the near future. Furthermore, Verhaar's group investigates in situ tissue engineering techniques specifically targeting small-diameter arteries and vascular grafts used in hemodialysis access.

She and her group lead and actively participate in several (inter)national consortia, including projects on regenerative nephrology and development of the wearable artificial kidney. Verhaar was one of the six main applicants of the NWO Gravitation grant Materials-Driven Regeneration and leads the Kidney Moonshot in the Regenerative Medicine Crossing Borders initiative. She also leads the national multicentre Dutch CardioVascular Alliance consortium RECONNEXT – on the cardio-renal connection- and the international consortia EC Horizon 2020 Pathfinder-open KIDNEW – investigating breakthrough technologies for an implantable artificial kidney-  and EC Horizon 2020 Marie S. Curie COFUND doctorate project RESCUE - offering 30 PhD positions on REgenerative Medicine & Stem Cells in UtrEcht.