Angiogenesis In Health Disease And Malignancy

This book is about “Angiogenesis”. A process in which new vasculature is formed from pre-existing capillaries. Angiogenesis process is associated with the proliferation and growth of both physiologically normal and neoplastic tissues, through the formation of vascular supply, essential for delivering growth requirements such as oxygen and nutrients. The book describes more than 100 genes and their key regulatory functions in the context of normal healthy condition, disease and malignancy, cancer proliferation and progression. New insights into the role of angiogenesis and the therapeutic inhibition of its regulators are investigated, due to the great potential for exploitation in the development of a novel treatment for cancer. New scientists, junior researchers and biomedical science students will find this book an invaluable introductory reference to their insight about angiogenesis and angiogenic role of more than 100 angiogenes and their role in healthy, disease and malignant conditions.

The book presents the overview of the current knowledge in some fields of vascular biology, addressing cellular and molecular aspects of blood-vessel formation and their role in health and disease. The major factors involved in the formation of blood vessels are presented by scientists actively involved in this area of research. Special emphasis is put on the presentation of various molecular mechanisms not addressed in similar works to date. The book is divided into three parts. The first part describes the cells and mediators in angiogenesis. The significance of various populations of potential endothelial progenitors is particularly highlighted. The chapters of the second part focus on molecular mechanisms, with special emphasis on the role of hypoxia, gasotransmitters and reactive oxygen species as well as microRNAs in regulation of angiogenic processes. In the third part, the pathological aspects of disturbed – aggravated or impaired – vascularization are discussed and new modalities for potential therapies are presented. The book is intended for scientists and PhD students in the fields of vascular biology and cancer research. It may be of interest for medical professionals in the fields of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, oncology and rheumatoid arthritis.

This book covers the latest developments in the therapeutic implications of angiogenesis, ranging from angiogenesis in the brain, angiogenesis in cancer, angiogenesis’ role in atherosclerosis and heart disease as well as metabolic disorders and peripheral vascular disease. The book is comprehensive in its coverage of angiogenesis in a diverse set of diseases and examines the role of cellular and subcellular structures during the development of angiogenesis. Well-organized and thorough, this is an ideal book for researchers and biomedical engineers working in the field of therapeutic implications of angiogenesis. This book also: Covers the basics of the physiology of angiogenesis, including VEGF pathways in angiogenesis, integr ins in angiogenesis, angiogenesis and exercise physiology, and more Details the role of angiogenesis in atherosclerosis and heart disease, including vascular endothelial growth factor and atherosclerotic plaque progression as well as angiogenesis and heart failure Illustrates in detail brain angiogenesis after stroke and the relationship between angiogenesis and Alzheimer's disease

Angiogenesis describes the formation of new blood vessels, which arise as outgrowths from existing vessels. In many physiological processes such as ovulation and wound healing angiogenesis is involved for a relatively short time. Otherwise under normal physiological conditions in the adult organism angiogenesis is an extremely slow process. By contrast in certain disease states such as diabetic retinopathy, arthritis, chronic inflammation, hemangiomas, etc., angiogenesis persists and contributes to the pathology of these disease states. Some 50 such "angiogenic diseases" have been described where angiogeneSiS is involved. Also in tumor growth and metastasis angiogenesis is an essential process and precedes neoplastic transformation. Hence, angiogenesis could become an important diagnostic tool and a target for developing therapeutic agents. This book contains the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Angiogenesis in Health and Disease" held in Porto Hydra, Greece, from June 16-27, 1991. This meeting was a comprehensive review of endothelial cell biology and endothelial cell phenotypic and functional heterogeneity in relation to angiogenesis under physiological and pathological conditions. Numerous in vitro and in vivo models were presented, which are used to study angiogenesis at the molecular and cellular levels and to evaluate chemical compounds or naturally occuring substances for their effect on angiogenesis. The presentations and discussions at this meeting provided an opportunity for the basic science and the clinical disciplines to meet, exchange information and provide future research directions for many investigators engaged in the study of angiogenesis.

New Frontiers in Angiogenesis is a fresh and unconventional look at the field of angiogenesis. It focuses on provocative and cutting-edge topics in the field of angiogenesis. Each chapter will take the reader along on a journey into uncharted territories of angiogenesis. The volume starts with a comprehensive overview of the field and continues with topics that have been minimally explored. The topics deal with dynamics of vasculogenesis using imaging techniques, bone marrow-derived endothelial cell precursors as potential therapeutic tools, regulation of post-angiogenic vessel regression, vascular mimicry, design and construction of artificial vessels, bioengineering of angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis recapitulating angiogenesis in health and disease states. Each chapter is written by leading experts of the subjects. It is hoped that this volume will challenge all of us interested in the field of angiogenesis and cardiovascular biology, in particular those in academia and industries, to think "outside the box" and explore angiogenesis from a fresh angle. It is hoped that New Frontiers in Angiogenesis is thought provoking and serve as a road map for discovering new findings to help betterments of human health.

Dr. Judah Folkman is considered the "father of angiogenesis." Because of Folkman's discovery and research, the possibilities of angiogenic therapy have broadened beyond cancer to many noncancerous diseases. Angiogenesis: An Integrative Approach from Science to Medicine is a comprehensive, concise summary of tumor angiogenesis. It is an up-to-date and authoritative reference for the angiogenesis field as it relates to oncology. This book represents the first collection in a volume of which Folkman is co-editor. Folkman has authored nearly 400 original papers and more than 100 book chapters.

In 1971, J. Folkman published in the “New England Journal of Medicine” a hypothesis that tumor growth is angiogenesis-dependent. Folkman introduced the concept that tumors probably secrete diffusible molecules that could stimulate the growth of new blood vessels toward the tumor and that the resulting tumor neovascularization could conceivably be prevented or interrupted by angiogenesis inhibitors. Solid and haematological tumors consist of an avascular and a subsequent vascular phase. Assuming that this depends on the release of angiogenic factors, acquisition of angiogenic capability can be seen as an expression of progression from neoplastic transformation to tumor growth and metastasis. Beginning in the 1980’s, the biopharmaceutical industry began exploiting the field of antiangiogenesis for creating new therapeutic compounds for modulating new blood vessels in tumor growth. In 2004, Avastin (Bevacizumab), a humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody, was the first angiogenesis inhibitor approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of colorectal cancer. At present, it has been estimated that over 20,000 cancer patients worldwide have received experimental form of antiangiogenic therapy. This book offers a historical account of the relevant literature. It also emphasizes the crucial and paradigmatic role of angiogenesis as a biological process and the significance of antiangiogenic approach for the treatment of tumors.

Tumor Vascularization discusses the different types of growth of tumor blood vessels and their implications on research and healthcare. The book is divided into three parts: the first one, General Mechanisms, discusses different vessel growth mechanisms, such as sprouting angiogenesis, non-angiogenesis dependent growth, intussusceptive microvascular growth, vascular co-option and vasculogenic mimicry. The second and third parts, entitled Clinical Implications and Therapeutic Implications are dedicated to translating recent findings in this field to patient treatment and healthcare. This book is a valuable source for cancer researchers, oncologists, graduate students and members of the biomedical field who are interested in tumor progression and blood vessels. Explains new, non-orthodox concepts recently developed and related to the modality of growth of tumor blood vessels Provides information on the types of angiogenesis, non-angiogenesis dependent growth and vascular co-option, discussing both their similarities and differences Encompasses a discussion on clinical implications of tumor vascularization to translate research findings into treatment

Tumor angiogenesis is one of the most prominent mechanisms driving tumor development and progression. This book is written by internationally renowned experts. Part 1 describes the basic mechanisms. Tumor-angiogenic signaling pathways are presented as new potential targets for anti-angiogenic therapy. Part 2 reviews the efforts made to validate new targets and to show efficacy in animals. Part 3 is devoted to the clinical development of the novel anti-angiogenic drugs and their use in clinical practice.

Tumor angiogenesis is the main process responsible for the formation of new blood vessels that promote tumor growth and metastasis. This process is driven by potent pro-angiogenic factors that are predominant in the tumor environment and are produced by both malignant cells and the host cells recruited to the tumor site. Tumor environment is characterized by the imbalance between pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors, which drives the construction of numerous but structurally defective vessels. These poorly perfused and abnormal vessels significantly contribute to the tumor pathology not only by supporting the expansion of the tumor mass but also by promoting chronic inflammation, enhancing thrombosis, impeding drug delivery, and disseminating tumor cells. These problems associated with tumor vasculature continue to attract great attention of scientists and clinicians interested in advancing the understanding of tumor biology and development of new drugs. This book complies a series of reviews that cover a broad spectrum of current topics related to the pathology of tumor blood vessels including mechanisms inducing new vessels, identification of new targets for inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, and potential clinical use of known and novel anti-angiogenic therapies. The book provides an update on tumor angiogenesis that could be useful for oncologists, cancer researchers and biologists with interests in vascular and endothelial cell behavior in the context of cancer.