Sophie Van Linthout is a professor of Immunocardiology at the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at the Charité Medical University Berlin, where she leads the research group of Translational Immunocardiology at the BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies.

She completed her studies in biological engineering at the Catholic University of Leuven, in Belgium, where she also earned her Ph.D. in medical science. Subsequently, she was a Marie-Curie Fellow of the European Commission in Italy for 1.5 years. Starting in 2004, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Cardiology and Pneumology at the Charité Medical University Berlin. She joined the BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies in 2010, where she was appointed group leader in 2015.

Her research focuses on investigating the role of innate and adaptive immunity in the pathogenesis of non-ischemic heart failure, with a particular interest in studying inflammatory cardiomyopathy and heart failure with preserved ejection function (HFpEF). Her team is exploring the role of both cardiac and extra-cardiac inflammation in heart failure pathogenesis. Her research aims to identify new therapeutic targets as well as assess the effectiveness of repurposed anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory strategies. To this end, her team analyzes patient samples from specific heart failure groups to identify therapeutic targets and tests pharmacological and cell-based strategies in experimental heart failure models.

She is a Principal Investigator in the DFG Collaborative Research Center SFB 1470 “Multilevel mechanistic characterization of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Towards a novel classification of HFpEF for targeted Therapies”. In this network, she investigates the role of innate immunity and inflammation in the pathogenesis of HFpEF, a form of heart failure which is more prevalent in women than in men.

She is Board member of the Heart Failure Association (HFA), Chair of the Scientific Committee on Basic and Translational Research of the HFA and subcommittee leader in the Women in Heart Failure HFA Task Force. She is a nucleus member (ex officio) of the European Society of Cardiology Working group Cellular Biology of the Heart.

Keywords: Translational immunocardiology, inflammation, myocarditis, heart failure, diabetic cardiopathy, fibroblast, cardiosplenic axis, immunomodulating strategies, endothelial dysfunction, mesenchymal stem cells, high-density lipoprotein, cell culture. Passion, curiosity, interest.

Berlin – December 6th, 2023

How did you decide to become a scientist?

My interest in science began when I was a child. I was inspired by my father – a civil engineer, very practical and technically skilled in fixing things, including cars. I was impressed by his skills and knowledge and wanted to be like him and be independent. Learning from him, I found myself explaining how nuclear energy works to a friend’s father at the age of 11. At that time, science was already my passion. 

I loved mathematics, chemistry, and biology. Studying biological engineering was therefore a logical choice. At the end of my engineering studies, a crucial moment was when I had to choose a thesis topic. My grandfather had a severe heart problem that year, a myocardial infarction. That made me decide to do my thesis on a topic not related to biology. Instead, I shifted towards medicine and cardiology. I went to the Faculty of Medicine, and I joined a fantastic and prestigious lab in Leuven led by Professor Desireé Collen, who is renowned for inventing tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). In his lab, I worked on developing gene transfer constructs to increase the expression of apolipoprotein A-I, the main protein of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the so-called good cholesterol. I had a wonderful mentor, Professor Bart De Geest, I obtained a lot of data, and my thesis was successful. 

This motivated me to pursue my Ph.D. in the same lab, focusing on improving gene transfer vectors to obtain persistent overexpression of apolipoprotein A-I. After four years, we achieved a breakthrough, being able to sustain gene expression for up to one year. Then, I went to Italy as a postdoctoral Marie Curie Fellow, where I evaluated the effects of different therapeutic strategies to modulate reparative angiogenesis. Inspired by this, I envisioned to apply my developed gene transfer vector in different models of cardiovascular disease. This was my first focus as a Post-Doc at the Charité, Berlin, by Professor Carsten Tschöpe, an expert in cardiomyopathies. Those studies were the base of my “Habilitation”-thesis to become a private instructor. Investigations on the immunomodulatory effects of HDL, further piqued my interest to explore the relevance of the immune system in heart failure and to search for immunomodulatory strategies, a topic which I explore ever since.

What is your drive and excitement in science and in doing what you do now?

I am a curious person. I want to figure out how things work, try to understand them, and learn more. This drive for knowledge keeps me going. 

Would you have one word to give as a gift to other women and, more generally, to young aspiring scientists, women or men?

I’ve talked to many young women, and often I feel they are overthinking. They worry about what to do next, asking questions like “What should I do? Can I have children? When will I have children?”.

My advice would be to do what you want to do and what you truly like to do. If you follow your passion, then you will succeed. If you love it, then doors will open for you. Even if one door closes, it’s not a problem – another door will open. Don’t get blocked by overthinking. Be decisive, grab opportunities, but don’t plan everything. Live one day at a time.