Vascular surgeon Michiel Warlé has been appointed as professor of Translational Vascular Surgery at Radboud university medical center / Radboud University. He investigates how the treatment of vascular diseases can be made more effective. By tailoring care more precisely to individual patients and applying technological innovations, he aims to prevent patients from undergoing unnecessary invasive and high-risk procedures.
A common vascular condition is peripheral arterial disease. In this condition, the arteries in the legs become narrowed or blocked, reducing blood and oxygen flow. This can cause cramping or pain while walking. In severe cases, it may lead to non-healing wounds.
Personalized treatment
Warlé is researching ways to improve the treatment of peripheral arterial disease. ‘We want to better understand which medication and dosage are best suited to each individual patient,’ he explains. ‘In this way, we may be able to prevent invasive surgeries.’ In collaboration with other hospitals, he is currently studying whether personalized anticoagulation therapy is more effective than prescribing a standard dose to prevent clot formation in the arteries. This research includes examining genetic differences that influence how platelet inhibitors work.
Microrobots
When blood clots block a blood vessel, rapid and effective removal can prevent complications and save lives. Together with the TechMed Centre of the University of Twete, Warlé is researching a promising new treatment: microrobots.
These tiny robots, only a few millimeters in size, move through blood vessels using magnets placed outside the body. Once they reach a clot, they can break it down either by drilling into it or by delivering medication directly to the site. ‘This technique is minimally invasive,’ says Warlé. ‘It allows us to treat patients with great precision while keeping the risk of side effects as low as possible.’
Career
Warlé studied medicine at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he also earned his PhD. After completing his surgical training, he began working as a vascular surgeon at the Radboudumc. Over the past ten years, he has conducted research on the use of low insufflation pressure and deep neuromuscular blockade during laparoscopic abdominal surgery, with the aim of improving postoperative recovery. The findings from this research have now been incorporated into medical guidelines. With this, he concludes this line of research and is now fully focused on his new professorship. The appointment as professor-research group leader is effective from 1 June 2026, for a period of five years.
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