Herman Sillje

Dr. Herman Sillje is the Head of the Experimental Cardiology Laboratory at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Groningen (UMCG). As a Researcher in experimental cardiology, he focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and radiation-induced cardiopulmonary effects. He is also a principal investigator at the UMCG’s Cardiovascular Centre (CVC) and contributes to the Protein Homeostasis (PH) research program.

Sillje earned his Ph.D. in biotechnology from Utrecht University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Geneva. He served as scientific director at Kiadis Pharma (acquired by Sanofi) and leads preclinical research on genetic heart diseases, including the PLN-R14del mutation. His work spans mouse models, hiPSC-derived heart tissues, and cardioprotective therapies.

Recent publications highlight his contributions to cardiac stress markers, oxidative stress in heart failure, and radiation protection strategies. Collaborations include Cardior GmbH, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, and the Nederlands Hart Institute. His research appears in journals like Circulation Research (cover article), European Journal of Heart Failure, and Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

He supervises 12 Ph.D. students (5 current) and teaches cardiovascular courses for the Dutch Heart Foundation. Sillje’s activities include organizing international conferences on molecular cardiology and serving on grant review panels for European Society of Cardiology and ANR (France). His work aligns with UN SDG 3 (Good Health) and SDG 17 (Partnerships).