Frits Deiman awarded Young Investigator Award, ZonMw NAM TPI Award and Stichting Vrienden van de Cardiologie Fellowship

During the Heart Failure 2026 World Congress in Barcelona, organized by the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and attended by more than 6,000 scientists and healthcare professionals, Frits (Frederik) Deiman received the Young Investigator Award in the Basic Science category. The award is presented annually to early-career researchers for innovative research in the field of heart failure.

Frits, who recently completed his PhD at the Department of Cardiology of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), received the award for his study, “Phosphoproteomics distinguishes disease-specific mechanisms for human phospholamban cardiomyopathy reversible by RNA therapy”. In this work, he investigated disease-specific mechanisms underlying phospholamban (PLN) cardiomyopathy, an inherited heart disease that is relatively common in the Netherlands and is associated with severe cardiac arrhythmias and progressive heart failure. Using patient-derived cardiac tissue, CRISPR-engineered stem cell models and advanced phosphoproteomics, the study identified molecular alterations that provide insight into the underlying disease processes. Furthermore, the research demonstrated that these abnormalities are partially reversible through RNA therapy, offering new perspectives for future targeted treatments for PLN cardiomyopathy.

The main findings were presented during the final of the Young Investigator Award competition, in which selected researchers from around the world presented their work to an international panel of experts. The study was subsequently published in the journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy of the Nature Portfolio.

In addition to the Young Investigator Award, the same study also received the ZonMw NAM TPI Award during the 10th DCVA-NLHI Translational Cardiovascular Research Meeting. This award recognizes research that innovatively applies animal-free research methodologies (New Approach Methodologies, NAMs) and contributes to the transition towards animal-free innovation. Furthermore, Frits was awarded a prestigious fellowship from Stichting Vrienden van de Cardiologie (Friends of Cardiology Foundation; €54,000) during the final round of the fellowship competition. This fellowship will support follow-up research at Imperial College London, focused on the further development of precision medicine approaches for inherited heart diseases. Interested in the article? Read it here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-026-02791-5

Reference: Deiman, F.E., et al. (2026). Phosphoproteomics distinguishes disease-specific mechanisms for human phospholamban cardiomyopathy reversible by RNA therapy. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy. DOI: 10.1038/s41392-026-02791-5. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-026-02791-5