Johan Verjans

Dr Johan Verjans

Senior Lecturer

Adelaide Medical School

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Johan Verjans is a Dutch cardiologist at SAHMRI Heart Health, a senior lecturer position at the University of Adelaide and is an Associate investigator of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Nanoscale Biophotonics. He is a physician-scientist combining cutting-edge research and patient care as a Cardiologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. During his research career (PhD Maastricht University, University of California; Post-doctoral fellow, Harvard Medical School), he has predominantly focused on translational pre-clinical and clinical imaging biomarkers using advanced invasive and non-invasive molecular imaging strategies to detect, track and predict disease at an early stage.

His recent research has focused on imaging biomarkers from large datasets using supervised and unsupervised machine learning strategies. As Deputy Director of Medical Machine Learning at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, his main role is to connect world-class machine learning capabilities to the Biomedical Precinct in Adelaide.

He is Associate editor of the Netherlands Heart Journal, including editor of a focus issue on Machine Learning in Cardiology. He authored recently the Cardiology chapter for Springer Nature’s first book on Artificial intelligence in Medical Imaging. He is a member of the Publications Committee of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance. He received several young investigator awards and recently was awarded the Ahrens Researcher Award by the Australian Heart Foundation.

His Leadership capabilities were demonstrated throughout his career as chairman of the Dutch medical students, full board member of the Royal Dutch Medical Doctors Federation, National committee on the Future of Medical Education, and more recently the Chairman of Young@Heart, representing Dutch Early and Mid-career Cardiovascular Researchers on behalf of the Netherlands Heart Institute and Dutch Heart Foundation.

Research interests - Cutting-edge Translational Research, Clinical Innovation, E-health

Pre-clinical 
-Noninvasive (Molecular) Imaging of Atherosclerosis, Myocardial infarction, Heart Failure (PET/SPECT, Optical, MRI, CT) 
-Intravascular Imaging of Atherosclerosis (OCT, Hybrid Fluorescence/OCT Catheters)

Clinical (CT, MR)
-Noninvasive imaging of atherosclerotic disease (CT, MRI)
-Noninvasive imaging of interstitial changes after myocardial infarction (SPECT/PET, MRI)
-Population Imaging / Machine learning in Cardiovascular Disease

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  • Journals
    Year Citation
    2019 Siegersma, K., Leiner, T., Chew, D., Appelman, Y., Hofstra, L., & Verjans, J. (2019). Artificial intelligence in cardiovascular imaging: state of the art and implications for the imaging cardiologist. Netherlands Heart Journal, 27(9), 403-413.
    DOI
    2017 Bozhko, D., Osborn, E., Rosenthal, A., Verjans, J., Hara, T., Kellnberger, S., . . . Ntziachristos, V. (2017). Quantitative intravascular biological fluorescence-ultrasound imaging of coronary and peripheral arteries in vivo.. European heart journal cardiovascular Imaging, 18(11), 1253-1261.
    DOI Scopus6 Europe PMC3
    2017 Rienks, M., Carai, P., Bitsch, N., Schellings, M., Vanhaverbeke, M., Verjans, J., . . . Papageorgiou, A. (2017). Sema3A promotes the resolution of cardiac inflammation after myocardial infarction. Basic Research in Cardiology, 112(4), 42-1-42-13.
    DOI Scopus22 WoS24 Europe PMC15
    2016 Verjans, J., Osborn, E., Ughi, G., Calfon Press, M., Hamidi, E., Antoniadis, A., . . . Jaffer, F. (2016). Targeted Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging of Atherosclerosis: Clinical and Intracoronary Evaluation of Indocyanine Green. JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, 9(9), 1087-1095.
    DOI Scopus26 WoS23 Europe PMC15
    2016 Teske, A., & Verjans, J. (2016). Takotsubo cardiomyopathy – Stunning views on the broken heart. Netherlands Heart Journal, 24(9), 508-510.
    DOI Scopus3 WoS1 Europe PMC1
    2015 Ughi, G., Verjans, J., Fard, A., Wang, H., Osborn, E., Hara, T., . . . Tearney, G. (2015). Dual modality intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) and near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging: a fully automated algorithm for the distance-calibration of NIRF signal intensity for quantitative molecular imaging. International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging, 31(2), 259-268.
    DOI Scopus28 WoS26 Europe PMC17
    2014 Jaffer, F., & Verjans, J. (2014). Molecular imaging of atherosclerosis: Clinical state-of-the-art. Heart, 100(18), 1469-1477.
    DOI Scopus19 WoS19 Europe PMC14
    2013 Verjans, J., & Jaffer, F. (2013). Biological imaging of atherosclerosis: Moving beyond anatomy. Journal of Cardiovascular Translational Research, 6(5), 681-694.
    DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC4
    2011 Verjans, J., van de Borne, S., Hofstra, L., & Narula, J. (2011). Molecular imaging of myocardial remodeling after infarction.. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 680, 227-235.
    DOI Scopus4 Europe PMC2
    2011 Narula, N., Zaragoza, M., Sengupta, P., Li, P., Haider, N., Verjans, J., . . . Wallace, D. (2011). Adenine nucleotide translocase 1 deficiency results in dilated cardiomyopathy with defects in myocardial mechanics, histopathological alterations, and activation of apoptosis. JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, 4(1), 1-10.
    DOI Scopus28 WoS27 Europe PMC21
    2010 Kenis, H., Zandbergen, H., Hofstra, L., Petrov, A., Dumont, E., Blankenberg, F., . . . Reutelingsperger, C. (2010). Annexin A5 uptake in ischemic myocardium: Demonstration of reversible phosphatidylserine externalization and feasibility of radionuclide imaging. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 51(2), 259-267.
    DOI Scopus57 WoS53 Europe PMC54
    2010 Van Den Borne, S., Diez, J., Blankesteijn, W., Verjans, J., Hofstra, L., & Narula, J. (2010). Myocardial remodeling after infarction: The role of myofibroblasts. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 7(1), 30-37.
    DOI Scopus360 WoS344 Europe PMC274
    2010 Verjans, J., Wolters, S., Laufer, W., Schellings, M., Lax, M., Lovhaug, D., . . . Hofstra, L. (2010). Early molecular imaging of interstitial changes in patients after myocardial infarction: Comparison with delayed contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, 17(6), 1065-1072.
    DOI Scopus28 WoS25 Europe PMC19
    2009 Zandbergen, H., Sharma, U., Gupta, S., Verjans, J., Van Den Borne, S., Pokharel, S., . . . Hofstra, L. (2009). Macrophage depletion in hypertensive rats accelerates development of cardiomyopathy. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 14(1), 68-75.
    DOI Scopus34 WoS31 Europe PMC28
    2008 van den Borne, S., Isobe, S., Verjans, J., Petrov, A., Lovhaug, D., Li, P., . . . Narula, J. (2008). Molecular Imaging of Interstitial Alterations in Remodeling Myocardium After Myocardial Infarction. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 52(24), 2017-2028.
    DOI Scopus97 WoS92 Europe PMC66
    2008 Verjans, J., Lovhaug, D., Narula, N., Petrov, A., Indrevoll, B., Bjurgert, E., . . . Narula, J. (2008). Noninvasive Imaging of Angiotensin Receptors After Myocardial Infarction. JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, 1(3), 354-362.
    DOI Scopus59 WoS55 Europe PMC33
    2008 Verjans, J., Hofstra, L., & Narula, J. (2008). Molecular imaging of interstitial alterations after myocardial infarction.. Journal of cardiovascular translational research, 1(3), 221-224.
    DOI
    2006 Petrucci, R., Truesdell, K., Carter, A., Goldstein, N., Russell, M., Dilkes, D., . . . Narula, J. (2006). Cognitive Dysfunction in Advanced Heart Failure and Prospective Cardiac Assist Device Patients. Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 81(5), 1738-1744.
    DOI Scopus28 WoS22 Europe PMC21
    2005 Hartung, D., Sarai, M., Petrov, A., Kolodgie, F., Narula, N., Verjans, J., . . . Narula, J. (2005). Resolution of apoptosis in atherosclerotic plaque by dietary modification and statin therapy. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 46(12), 2051-2056.
    Scopus64 WoS64 Europe PMC46
    2003 Verjans, J., Narula, N., Loyd, A., Narula, J., & Vannan, M. (2003). Myocardial contrast echocardiography in acute myocardial infarction. Current Opinion in Cardiology, 18(5), 346-350.
    DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC2
    2003 Kolodgie, F., Petrov, A., Virmani, R., Narula, N., Verjans, J., Weber, D., . . . Narula, J. (2003). Targeting of Apoptotic Macrophages and Experimental Atheroma with Radiolabeled Annexin V: A Technique with Potential for Noninvasive Imaging of Vulnerable Plaque. Circulation, 108(25), 3134-3139.
    DOI Scopus205 WoS182 Europe PMC134
    — Snaauw, G., Gong, D., Maicas, G., Hengel, A. V. D., Niessen, W. J., Verjans, J., & Carneiro, G. (n.d.). End-to-End Diagnosis and Segmentation Learning from Cardiac Magnetic
    Resonance Imaging.

  • Book Chapters
    Year Citation
    2010 Strauss, H., Verjans, J., Zaret, B., & Narula, J. (2010). Radionuclide imaging of inflammation in atheroma. In Clinical Nuclear Cardiology (pp. 713-722).
    DOI
    2007 Verjans, J., & Narula, J. (2007). Radionuclide Imaging. In The Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque: Strategies for Diagnosis and Management (pp. 247-256).
    DOI
    2007 Vannan, M., Ahsan, C., Verjans, J., Petrov, A., & Narula, J. (2007). Ultrasonic Detection of Coronary Disease. In The Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque: Strategies for Diagnosis and Management (pp. 211-221).
    DOI Scopus1

  • Conference Papers
    Year Citation
    2017 Bozhko, D., Osborn, E., Rosenthal, A., Verjans, J., Hara, T., McCarthy, J., . . . Ntziachristos, V. (2017). Quantitative intravascular fluorescence-ultrasound imaging in vivo. In Optics InfoBase Conference Papers Vol. Part F63-OMP 2017.
    DOI
    2016 Verjans, J., Ughi, G., Osborn, E., Gerboud, E., Takx, R., Tawakol, A., . . . Jaffer, F. (2016). Multimodality intravascular molecular imaging of inflammation and endothelial permeability independently predicts plaque progression over time. In EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL Vol. 37 (pp. 51-52). Rome, ITALY: OXFORD UNIV PRESS.
    2015 Verjans, J., Osborn, E., Ughi, G., Antoniadis, A., Papafaklis, M., Libby, P., . . . Jaffer, F. (2015). First clinical and intracoronary evaluation of indocyanine green for targeted intravascular near-infrared fluorescence imaging of high-risk atherosclerotic plaques. In EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL Vol. 36 (pp. 1194). London, ENGLAND: OXFORD UNIV PRESS.
    2014 Verjans, J., Osborn, E., Ughi, G., Kessinger, C. W., Mallidi, S., Hasan, T., . . . Jaffer, F. A. (2014). First-in-Human Evaluation of Indocyanine Green for Targeted Optical Imaging of Atherosclerosis: Implications for Inflamed, High-Risk Plaques. In CIRCULATION Vol. 130 (pp. 4 pages). LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS.
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  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2019 Co-Supervisor Lipidomics in the Study of Atherosclerosis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Jake White
    2019 Co-Supervisor Medical Machine Learning Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Yu Tian
    2019 Co-Supervisor Improving Dataset Effectiveness by Reducing Task Irrelevant Variation Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Gerard Snaauw
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  • Editorial Boards
    Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country
    2016 - ongoing Associate Editor Netherlands Heart Journal Springer Australia
    2015 - ongoing Associate Editor Netherlands Heart Journal — Netherlands
  • Position: Senior Lecturer
  • Email: johan.verjans@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: —
  • Org Unit: Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
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