Angiogenesis and Vasculogenesis in Health and Disease
1Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
2University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
3Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA
4IRCCS – G. B. Bietti Foundation, Rome, Italy
5Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston, USA
Angiogenesis and Vasculogenesis in Health and Disease
Description
The first scientific evidence of angiogenesis dates back to the late 1700s when the Scottish surgeon John Hunter suggested that the balance between vascularity and metabolic requirements occurs in both health and disease. Vasculogenesis and angiogenesis occur during the growth of new blood vessels. Specifically, vasculogenesis refers to the differentiation of precursor cells or angioblasts into endothelial cells and the de novo formation of a primitive vascular network, whereas angiogenesis occurs when new capillaries grow from preexisting blood vessels. At the embryonic level, blood vessels can form through both mechanisms. The modern history of angiogenesis began more than 30 years ago when Judah Folkman hypothesized and reported that tumor growth is angiogenesis-dependent, turning the study of this process into one of the most exciting areas in modern biomedical research. It has been widely accepted that abnormal angiogenesis represents an important process in many pathological conditions, as well documented by the ever growing number of publications in this field during the last two decades. We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will help in understanding the mechanisms of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in health and disease, signaling pathways in vascular cells, and the development of novel therapies to treat angiogenesis-related diseases. Both experimental and theoretical papers are welcome.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Mechanisms of blood vessel formation
- Vessel structure, integrity, and permeability
- Signaling pathways and Ca2+ dynamics in vascular cells
- Redox signaling in angiogenesis
- Tumor angiogenesis and antiangiogenic drug resistance
- Angiogenesis in ischemic diseases
- Angiogenesis in acute and chronic inflammation
- Endothelial progenitor cells in health and disease
- Angiogenesis-based medicine