About Us
The establishment of the North American (NA) PLN Foundation began about seven years ago, as it became apparent to Dr. Kranias and Pieter Glijnis that PLN carriers were being identified in the US. The NA Board officially received tax exempt status on March 1, 2021, and Dr. Dean Jansen was asked to serve as secretary/treasurer of the foundation. The specific focus of the board is to stimulate, mediate, and initiate research to find a cure. Another important focus is to assist in finding and educating PLN carrier sand fundraising.
The PLN disease has only been studied for the past decade, and it is estimated that 12,000 people in the Netherlands and 4000 in NA are afflicted with this condition. As it is a rare disease, most cardiologists or healthcare workers do not routinely order genetic testing for it. Dr. Jansen’s condition was initially identified at the Cleveland Clinic, and he subsequently received an ICD/pacemaker which prevented him from sudden cardiac death. As he is a carrier, all his family members have been tested and 10 carriers were identified. Many of our board advisors are PLN carriers; personal stories are listed below.
Our mission
The PLN Foundation is a patient-led organization committed to supporting PLN patients worldwide by building a global research network focused on improving diagnosis, raising awareness, and ultimately finding a cure.
The PLN Foundation is engaged in scientific research towards developing a treatment therapy. Over the years, we have expanded our network with world-wide collaborations of renowned international research centers. The aim is to focus research in diagnostics, treatment, and cures for heart disease caused by the Phospholamban gene mutation (PLN).
Objectives
The North American Foundation has the following objectives:
Funding
Just like the Dutch foundation, the North American board is actively involved in promoting and supporting scientific research on PLN. Much of this research is currently being conducted at major universities and institutes across the United States and Canada. We collaborate closely with leading scientists from some of the top-ranked academic institutions in North America.
Fellow carriers
One of the primary goals of the PLN foundation is to identify carriers as early identification can decrease their risk of serious heart conditions. The foundation also provides carriers with information concerning treatment options and current research initiatives.
Raising awareness
In addition to keeping carriers and their families informed about the latest scientific research and potential therapeutic developments, we aim to create opportunities for PLN patients to connect and share their personal journeys. These include our annual online PLN Day and ongoing support groups; fostering a stronger, more supportive community.
Our Board
Dr. Litsa Kranias
Chair of the Board
Read about Litsa
Dr. Kranias is Distinguished Professor at the University of Cincinnati and has conducted cardiovascular research for over 40 years. Her research has focused on understanding the
mechanisms and pathways that associate with heart failure with the goal to prevent or restore cardiac function. Kranias identified phospholamban (PLN), a small protein in the heart, as a key regulator of contractility and a major mediator of the heart’s responses in “fight-or-flight”
situations. Importantly, human mutations in the PLN gene result in heart failure and/or arrhythmias. A specific inherited mutation characterized by loss of arginine at position 14 (R14del), was originally discovered by Kranias in Greece and subsequently identified in the
Netherlands and several other countries. Currently, a clinical trial targeting PLN in heart failure,
is in Phase 2, based on the Kranias and Hajjar lab findings. Dr Kranias is known as the “Mother of PLN” among cardiovascular scientists and is passionate about connecting researchers with
cardiologists and patients, raising awareness, and moving research efforts towards a cure for
PLN. Dr Kranias has published over 300 original articles and 90 invited reviews. She has received several major awards, such as American Heart Association (AHA) Distinguished
Scientist, AHA Basic Research Prize, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Merit Award and the NIH Research Career Development Award. In parallel, she has been highly committed to graduate education and the training of postdoc fellows and young faculty and received several
mentorship awards. She directly mentored over 75 Ph.D. students and post-doctoral researchers and serves as a dedicated role model.
Dr. Kranias has also served on several councils and committees including the National Council of the Biophysical Society, the Council of the ISHR (International and NA-section),
the AHA Research Committee and the AHA BCVS Leadership and Nominating committees.
She has also served as Associate Editor or an Editorial Board member of several journals and a member of numerous review committees. She is currently a scientific advisor for AskBio and a consultant for Atrium Therapeutics.
Dr. Dean Jansen
Secretary of the Board / PLN Carrier
Read about Dean
Leo Dean Jansen, MD, is a retired orthopedic surgeon from Warsaw, Indiana. He is also a Dutch descent and a carrier of the phospholamban (PLN)-R14 del mutation. This is a Dutch inherited mutation that can cause heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.
The PLN condition has only been studied for the past few years and it is estimated that 12,000 people in the Netherlands and 4,000 in the US are afflicted with this condition.
Since relatively little is known about this disease, most health care workers do not routinely check for this. Deans’ condition was discovered at Cleveland Clinic and he subsequently received an ICD/pacemaker.
Without this intervention, he would have suffered sudden cardiac death. All of his family members have been tested with ten others identified as also carriers. Of the eleven family members, five have required defibrillator placement, five have had heart ablation procedures and one has been transplanted so far.
Dr. Mark Mercola
Board Member
Read about Mark
Mark Mercola, PhD, is the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Scholar and Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and in the Department of Chemical and Systems Biology. Dr. Mercola has done foundational work enabling the production of heart tissue for therapeutic and drug discovery applications.
He has led teams that developed cell tools for monitoring physiological function of engineered heart tissues that are predictive of disease-modifying activity in humans. His current research uses these tools together with small and large animal models to identify therapeutic targets and drugs (biologics and small molecule) to treat heart disease.
He has run an NIH-funded lab for over 30 years, is a recipient of an NIH MERIT award, and led a postdoctoral training program for a decade. He has played leading roles in large multidisciplinary academic grants and pharmaceutical company-academic collaborations. He is a recipient of an NIH MERIT award has led projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Fondation Leducq, and pharmaceutical company-academic collaborations. He serves on the boards of multiple academic centers and biotech companies.
Chris Coupal
Board Member / PLN Carrier
Read about Chris
Chris recently hit 50, but doesn’t feel a day over 49, balancing family, career, and a few unexpected twists along the way. A husband, father, tech executive, military veteran, and PLN advocate.
He and his wife, Jennifer, have known each other since 2003, officially tying the knot in 2017. Jennifer spent 12 years in technology and project management, but transitioned to medicine in 2015 and is now a practicing doctor. He is also the proud father to three daughters Caileigh (22, married, finishing her undergrad), Madison (19, training to be an EMT), and Brooklynn (18, studying art and design). Together, they share an acreage south of Calgary, Alberta in view of the Rocky Mountains with three off-the-track thoroughbreds, four dogs, and two cats..
His career includes 16 years in the Canadian Forces, where he retired as a Major after commanding the Reserve Signal Squadron in Calgary and serving in Afghanistan managing theatre-wide communication infrastructure. In his civian life, he’s worked 20 years in technology, operational management and operational excellence, leading teams from 2 to 200. He is now the COO of a small but influential Canadian company serving over 60 Fortune 100 companies.
Outside of work, Chris enjoys working on the acreage (he built a barn in 2022), riding horses, collecting fancy LEGO, and traveling, he and Jennifer visit a new global destination yearly and squeeze in trips to Mexico when they can.
Chris’s PLN journey began in 2017 when during a rugby game, he took a knee to the chest triggered a heart attack, leading to a four-year diagnostic journey. His Dutch grandfather’s history pointed to PLN, which was finally confirmed in 2022 after genetic testing. Further testing of his extended family show his mother, aunt, one brother, and his two daughters are also positive.
Now an advisor to the North American PLN board, Chris is dedicated to raising awareness in North America, with an emphasis on Canada, and supporting research. Resilient and optimistic, he faces challenges head-on, living life to the fullest every step of the way.
Kaleigh Overberger
Board Member / PLN Carrier
Read about Kaleigh
Kaleigh Overberger is a Speech Language Pathologist seeing adults in a rehabilitation hospital in the mornings and pediatrics in the afternoons. She is also a counselor, artist, builds and races cars and motorcycles, wedding catering coordinator, private chef, and owns 3 companies; 2 of which are aimed at helping those living with special needs. As part of the PLN Foundation family, she is the dedicated social media manager and helps support spreading awareness in North America.
Her story about her PLN journey is quite fascinating. Growing up being very active in sports such as beach volleyball, tennis, and softball, she was always told she had athletic asthma due to respiratory concerns during increased moments of exercise. She was adopted from birth with her twin brother, Jordan, who works in medical sales.
Her PLN journey began when she was 20, finding out she had 2 older biological siblings, and then 2 younger biological siblings 2 years later. She was invested in learning anything and everything about her biological family and their health history. Through this, she discovered her biological mother and aunt had passed due to sudden cardiac arrest.
Following her biological aunt’s passing, the biological family members got genetic testing and found out the route cause was PLN. The 6 biological siblings got tested, 3 being carriers, and 3 not having PLN. Kaleigh and her older sister, 30, now have internal defibrillators, and the third sibling, 25, is presenting as asymptomatic as of right now. As of 2025, Kaleigh has met the other 5 siblings, and her biological uncle who was able to share a lot of information and stories about her biological family and mother.
Her uncle is not a carrier; however, 3 cousins, children of the aunt who passed away, are carriers, one who has received a heart transplant as of July 2024, and 2 cousins with defibrillators. Kaleigh and her older sister additionally have ICDs. One of the cousins recently had twins conceived through IVF to stop the lineage, which is an amazing medical treatment option available.
Kaleigh is dedicated to helping as many people as she can by spreading awareness to medical professionals and potential carriers to prevent someone passing due to PLN.
Pieter Glijnis
Board Member / PLN Carrier
Read about Pieter
Pieter Glijnis is the Chairman and Founder of the PLN Foundation (2012 – present), which focuses on finding a treatment for the disease caused by the r14del mutation in the PLN gene. Pieter was affected by the disease in 2005 and received a heart transplant in 2012, which has given him a new lease on life. For the foundation, he translates economic entrepreneurship into social entrepreneurship.
He has a background in mechanical engineering (HTS Mechanical Engineering, 1982-1986) and additional education in entrepreneurship (Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2000-2001) and corporate governance (Nyenrode Business University, 2014-2015).
As a serial entrepreneur, Pieter was one of the founders of the HGG Group, where he has held several leadership roles. He also holds leadership roles in HGG Onroerend Goed and POW Project Ontwikkeling Wieringermeer (1995 – present).
Pieter has contributed to numerous scientific publications and is involved in various research projects and consortia, such as the Geremy project for gene therapy (2023-2027) and the RESCUE project for cardiovascular diseases (2024-2027). His work primarily focuses on the treatment and cure of phospholamban-related cardiomyopathies.
Dr. Cat Makarewich
Board Advisor
Read about Cat
Dr. Cat Makarewich is an Assistant Professor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati, where she leads a research program focused on the molecular mechanisms that drive heart failure and inherited cardiomyopathies. Her work centers on understanding how small regulatory proteins control calcium handling and mitochondrial function in the heart, and how disruptions in these pathways contribute to disease.
The board members receive no compensation or expense reimbursements for their services.