{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nAtrial cardiomyopathy (AtCM) is increasingly recognised as an underlying atrial substrate contributing to atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), and cardio-embolic stroke. However, diagnostic criteria, disease thresholds, and targeted treatment strategies remain poorly defined.Objective\n\nTo describe the rationale, structure, and translational strategy of the EmbRACE (Electro-Molecular Basis and the theRapeutic management of Atrial Cardiomyopathy, fibrillation and associated outcomEs) network, a national consortium established to address key knowledge gaps in AtCM.Methods\n\nEmbRACE integrates mechanistic research, computational modelling, clinical trials, and implementation science within seven interconnected work packages. Human atrial tissue biobanking and deep phenotyping (WP1) enable molecular profiling of candidate pathways (WP2), which are validated in experimental models (WP3). Computational modelling and artificial intelligence (WP4) integrate multimodal clinical and biological data to derive composite AtCM phenotypes and severity frameworks. Substrate-targeting clinical trials evaluate AF ablation (RACE X; WP5), weight reduction using GLP‑1 agonists (DUTCH-WAIST; WP6), and optimised rate control using calcium channel antagonists (SMART-VERAPAF; WP6). Implementation science (WP7) focuses on guideline integration, decision-support tools, and governance of AI-based risk models. EmbRACE establishes a translational pipeline from mechanistic discovery to clinical application. By integrating tissue-level insights with multimodal risk modelling and interventional trials, the consortium aims to define clinically meaningful AtCM thresholds, to validate indirect markers, and to determine whether targeted treatment modifies disease progression and clinical outcomes.Conclusion\n\nEmbRACE provides a multidisciplinary framework to transform AtCM from a theoretical construct into a clinically actionable entity, enabling earlier detection, improved risk stratification, and AtCM-directed therapy in cardiovascular prevention.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Cardiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. n.l.van.vreeswijk@umcg.nl.",
    "Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.",
    "Department of Cardiology, Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.",
    "Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.",
    "Heart Centre, Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.",
    "Department of Biochemistry, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.",
    "Department of Genetic Epidemiology, Institute of Human Genetics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.",
    "Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Heart Lung Centre Leiden, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.",
    "Gottfried Schatz Research Center, Division of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.",
    "Department of Cardiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.",
    "Department of Cardiology, Martini Hospital, Groningen, The Netherlands.",
    "Department of Cardiology, Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, The Netherlands.",
    "Department of Cardiology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.",
    "Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Heart Failure and Arrhythmias, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.",
    "Department of General Practice, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.",
    "Amsterdam Public Health, Personalized Medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 15,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Nick L van Vreeswijk"
    },
    {
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        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Zarina Habibi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Sander van Doorn"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Joris R de Groot"
    },
    {
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        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Monika Stoll"
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    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Daniël A Pijnappels"
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    {
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        8
      ],
      "name": "Jordi Heijman"
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    {
      "affs": [
        9,
        10
      ],
      "name": "Robert G Tieleman"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11
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      "name": "Ron Pisters"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11,
        12
      ],
      "name": "Martin E W Hemels"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        13
      ],
      "name": "Fleur V Y Tjong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Ulrich Schotten"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Michiel Rienstra"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Geert-Jan Geersing"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14,
        15
      ],
      "name": "Jelle C L Himmelreich"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c7n84q1fcgv3h.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.1007/s12471-026-02081-3",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13694587",
  "id": "c7n84q1fcgv3h",
  "issns": [
    "1568-5888",
    "1876-6250"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42881355",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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      "2705|Atrial Fibrillation Management and Outcomes"
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  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13694587?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13694587",
  "pmid": "42881355",
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c7n84q1fcgv3h.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:46Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42881355",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42881355"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2705|Atrial Fibrillation Management and Outcomes",
      "subfield": "cardiovascular"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Atrial cardiomyopathy: from knowledge gaps to clinical impact : The role of the EmbRACE Network.",
  "title_text": "Atrial cardiomyopathy: from knowledge gaps to clinical impact : The role of the EmbRACE Network.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:46Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c7n84q1fcgv3h",
  "venue": "Netherlands heart journal : monthly journal of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology and the Netherlands Heart Foundation",
  "versions": []
}