News – The North American PLN Foundation

Events

Stay updated with the latest events on the PLN North American Foundation

PLN Mediated Cardiomyopathy Mini Symposium

This mini symposium focused on the phospholamban (PLN) gene linked to sudden cardiac death and heart failure. This mutation is particularly prevalent among individuals of Dutch ancestry. Given West Michigan’s strong Dutch heritage, the program will raise local awareness, review the clinical implications of this condition, and convene a panel including patients to discuss next steps in research and community church.

Presenters Include:

Vik Kashyap: (VP for Cardiovascular Health at Corewell Health)

Pieter Glijnis: (Founder and Chair of the PLN Foundation)

Henry Baron: (Professor Emeritus of English at Calvin University)

Dean Jansen and Kaleigh Overberger: (Board Members of the PLN North American Foundation and PLN Carriers)

David Fermin: (Cardiac Imaging, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Heart Failure, and Transplantation Cardiology)

Vincent Cruz: (Chief of Medical Genetics Corewell Health)

Chaz Hong: (Chair of Medicine at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine)

Allison Kuipers: (Basic and Translational Research at MSU Department of Medicine)

The Recording Of The PLN Mediated Cardiomyopathy Mini Symposium Can Be Found Here:

https://mediaspace.msu.edu/media/PLN+Symposium/1_et5l0hte

PLN North American Foundation Board Updates

The second quarter has been filled with exciting momentum for the PLN community. In March of 2026, Grand Rapids Magazine featured an article highlighting the importance of increasing awareness and genetic testing for the PLN mutation, bringing much-needed attention to families who may be unknowingly at risk.

We are also thrilled to congratulate our Chairman, Pieter Glijnis, and Stefan Bassant (LMNA Cardiac) on receiving the prestigious Wiek van Gilst Collaboration Award from the Dutch CardioVascular Alliance (DCVA). This award recognizes outstanding collaboration in cardiovascular research across the Netherlands and includes €10,000 given to our sister foundation in the Netherlands to further strengthen their scientific partnership and efforts to find a cure. Their achievement is a testament to the power of collaboration in accelerating research for inherited heart diseases.

One of our biggest priorities this year is growing our PLN carrier registry. Whether you have symptoms or feel completely healthy, we need you. Accurate carrier numbers are critical when applying for research grants and securing funding opportunities. The larger our confirmed community, the greater our ability to demonstrate the need for research and attract support for developing better treatments and ultimately, a cure. Even if you believe you are already on our carrier list, please contact us to confirm your information so our records remain accurate and up to date.

International Meeting of Cardiovascular Scientists Highlights PLN Disease

The Third Olympiad in Cardiovascular Medicine was held in Kalamata, Greece at the end of April 2026 to bring cardiovascular researchers across the world together to highlight the exciting advances of the past 4 years. Several members of the PLN-NA Foundation Board were in attendance with many presenting their research to international leaders in cardiovascular research. There was a special session titled “CUREPLaN: New Insights & Promising Therapeutic Avenues” during the conference to highlight how basic science, patients, and clinical trialists have worked together to make substantial progress towards targeted therapies for PLN carriers.

Presentations at the conference by board members and PLN researchers included:

Litsa Kranias, PhD (Board Chair, PLN Researcher)

Francesca Stillitano, PhD (PLN Researcher)

Peter Glijnis (PLN Carrier, Board Member)

Roger Hajjar, MD (PLN Researcher)

Cat Makarewich, PhD (Board Advisor, PLN Researcher)

Mark Mercola, PhD (Board Member, PLN Researcher)

Ioannis Karakikes, PhD (PLN Researcher)

Ying Ge, PhD (PLN Researcher)

We are so impressed by the research presented and would like to extend our extreme gratitude to the organizers of this conference for scheduling time to highlight the work being done by PLN researchers. Scientists across the globe are committed to advancing our knowledge about PLN with the hopes of finding a cure!