Dr Miranda Nabben (M.W.)
Miranda Nabben is assistant professor at the Department of Genetics and Cell Biology at Maastricht University. Miranda obtained her master’s degree at Utrecht University and her PhD on metabolic disorders from Maastricht University. She has since then completed three postdoc positions at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA and at Eindhoven University of Technology and Maastricht University. Miranda’s ambition is to treat cardiac disease via metabolic interventions. She is studying the relationship between structural, metabolic and functional changes in the failing heart to better understand the molecular triggers of heart failure and to identify new targets for treatment.
Career history
Miranda Nabben studied Clinical Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, and obtained a master’s degree in the field of Drug Innovation at Utrecht University. After internships in the fields of cardiac hypertrophy (Stellenbosch University, South Africa) and diabetes (UMC Utrecht), Miranda choose to further extent her research on metabolic disorders with profs. Schrauwen and Glatz (NUTRIM, Maastricht University). Her doctoral research investigated the role of the mitochondrial Uncoupling Protein 3 (UCP3) in relation to diabetes, obesity and aging. After her PhD, she successfully applied for a ‘Maastricht University Kootstra Talent Fellowship’ in order to continue her work in the cardiac field.
In 2010, Miranda started a 2-year postdoc with prof. Rong Tian (University of Washington, Seattle, USA) focusing on mitochondrial substrate metabolism and function in the pathogenesis of cardiac diseases, using ex vivo isolated mouse heart perfusions. To have the opportunity to use the in vivo state-of-the-art imaging techniques (MRI, MRS and PET) and expertise needed to better assess the transitional processes to failure, she then started a postdoc with prof. Klaas Nicolay, Jeanine Prompers, PhD and prof. Gustav Strijkers (Eindhoven University of Technology; 2012-2015). A VENI Innovational Research Award from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) allowed her to study the relationship between the structural, metabolic and functional changes in the non-diabetic and diabetic pressure overloaded heart.
In 2015, she moved back to Maastricht, to the department of Genetics and Cell Biology, in order to get better molecular understanding of the triggers of heart failure development, to have access to the expertise within the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences and to be closer to the clinic. Together with her colleagues in the cardiac substrate metabolism group she pursues her ambition to treat cardiac diseases via metabolic interventions.