Professor John J.P. Kastelein (born 1954) is Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the Department of Vascular Medicine at the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam, where he previously held the Strategic Chair of Genetics of Cardiovascular Disease. After obtaining his medical degree from the University of Amsterdam in 1980, he completed specialty training in internal medicine followed by advanced training in medical genetics, lipidology, and molecular biology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver from 1986 to 1988. His distinguished career has been centered at the Academic Medical Center, where he established himself as a leading authority in cardiovascular medicine and genetics, serving as Chairman of the Department of Vascular Medicine until transitioning to emeritus status. Kastelein maintains significant influence through his extensive contributions to international cardiovascular research initiatives and scientific advisory roles.
Professor Kastelein pioneered the innovative extreme genetics approach to studying cardiovascular disease, initially developed during his time at the University of British Columbia under Dr. Hayden's mentorship and later implemented at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. He founded the Lipid Research Clinic at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam in 1989, which has grown into a major tertiary referral center serving over 5,000 patients annually. His extensive research portfolio includes over 1,320 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals such as Nature Genetics, Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and Circulation, with an Hirsch index of 122 as of January 2020 and more than 74,800 total citations. Kastelein has made significant contributions to major cardiovascular intervention trials including SPIRE, ORION, GLAGOV, REALIZE, IDEAL, and JUPITER, with several landmark studies published in top medical journals that have reshaped clinical practice.
Beyond his academic contributions, Professor Kastelein has been instrumental in translating research into clinical applications through his entrepreneurial activities, co-founding multiple biotechnology companies including Xenon Pharma, Uniqure, Dezima, and NewAmsterdam Pharma. He currently serves as Chief Science Officer of New Amsterdam Pharma, where he leads the development of Obicetrapib, a CETP inhibitor that lowers LDL-cholesterol and apoB while reducing cardiovascular risk. His leadership extends to advisory roles with pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and he serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Vascular Research Network, comprising over 50 Dutch hospitals involved in clinical trials for cardiometabolic disease. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, Kastelein received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Netherlands Heart Foundation in 2010, the ZonMw Parel award in 2011, and the Anitschkov Prize from the European Atherosclerosis Society in 2014 for the best atherosclerosis research in Europe.
