Mechanisms of Angiogenesis: 94 (Experientia Supplementum, 94) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3764364599 ISBN 13: 9783764364595

Publisher: Birkhäuser, 2004

Synopsis

Is it advisable to go back from bedside to the bench? During the last decade, few topics encountered such a broad interest in bio- gy and medicine as angiogenesis. The amazing ability of the body to restore blood flow by induction of blood vessel growth as part of an adaptive process has alarmed physicians dealing with diseases in which angiogenesis is either exaggerated (as in tumors) or too slow (as in ischemic diseases of heart and brain). Not surprisingly, pro- and antiangiogenic strategies have found their way into clinical trials. For instance, for the USA, the NIH website in early 2004 displayed 38 clinical studies involving either pro- or antiangiogenic th- apies. Given the expected overwhelming wealth of clinical data, the question may be asked whether further exploration of biological mechanisms is required or whether results from the bedside are instructive enough to proceed. This question depends also on the progress of pro- and antiangiogenic clinical trials. In the following, I give a short overview about some of the progress that has been made in this field. Since Judah Folkman proposed antiangiogenic tumor therapy thirty years ago, it has become increasingly evident that agents which interfere with blood vessel formation also block tumor progression. Accordingly, antiangiogenic therapy has gained much attention as a potential adjunct to conventional c- cer therapy.

About this title

Synopsis

The induction of blood vessel growth as part of an adaptive process can be either exaggerated, such as in tumors, or too slow, as in ischemic diseases of heart and brain. Therefore, it is an interesting target for medical intervention. This volume presents a thorough reconsideration of our current knowledge of factors and principles involved in angiogenic processes. It proceeds from a "macroscopic " perspective through cellular and physical mechanisms to the molecular level. In the first part, angiogenesis in physiological as well as pathological processes is described with a focus on embryogenesis, the reproductive system and the growing heart. The second part deals with cellular and physical mechanisms leading to angiogenesis, and the last part presents a deeper insight into molecular mechanisms of blood vessel growth, including knockout studies of essential angiogenic molecules, the identification of signaling steps in angiogenesis and the importance of cellular junctions.

Edition details

• Publisher: Birkhäuser
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3764364599
• ISBN 13: 9783764364595
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 338
• Editor: Clauss Matthias, Breier Georg