The ESC Textbook of Vascular Biology

Atherosclerosis is the most significant cause of cardiovascular disease worldwide. Vascular biology is the key to understanding how atherosclerosis arises and operates. The ESC Textbook of Vascular Biology is a rich and clearly laid-out guide by leading European scientists providing comprehensive information on vascular physiology, disease, and research.

The textbook covers molecular findings and novel targets within the speciality while also providing the basics of vascular biology and disease pathophysiology. It also covers the major changes in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis that have occurred in recent years, developments and recent breakthroughs in the field are specifically highlighted.

The official publication of the ESC Working Group on Arthrosclerosis and Vascular Biology, this print edition comes with access to the online version on Oxford Medicine Online, for as long as the edition is published by Oxford University Press. By activating your unique access code, you can read and annotate the full text online, follow links from the references to primary research materials, and view, enlarge and download all the figures and tables.

The textbook is also linked to the ESC's online learning platform (ESCel) and their core specialist training curriculum (ESC Core Curriculum). The textbook particularly appeals to vascular biologists, cardiologists, and other practising clinicians.

Table of Contents

Section 1 - Foundation of the vascular wall
1: Cell Biology, J Essers, BS van Thiel, I van der Pluijm, R Kanaar, AHJ Danser
2: Physiology, VWM van Hinsbergh
3: Physical processes, TC Gasser
4: Immunology, GK Hansson
5: Animal models, Q Xu, W Gu, Y Xie
Section 2 - Biology of the vasculature
6: Endothelial cells, I Fleming, B Kwak
7: Vascular smooth muscle cells, ML Bochaton-Piallat, CJM de Vries, GJ van Eys
8: Arteriogenesis and angiogenesis, P Carmeliet, G Eelen, J Kalucka
9: The lymphatic system, K Alitalo, M Detmar, S Karaman, A Aspelund
Section 3 - Atherosclerosis
10: Atherosclerosis - a short history, E Lutgens, C Monaco
11: Lipid metabolism, O Wiklund, J Borén
12: Biomechanics, R Krams, P Weinberg, J Wentzel
13: Cellular mechanisms, C Weber, ML Bochaton-Piallat, E Lutgens
14: Molecular mechanisms, C Monaco, G Caligiuri
Section 4 - Other vascular disease
15: Valvular heart disease, P Kovanen, M Bäck
16: Pathophysiology of Aneurysm, JB Michel
17: Vasculitis, J Mason, E Tombetti
Section 5 - Vascular-associated pathologies
18: Thrombosis, L Badimon, FC Tanner, GG Camici, G Vilahur
19: Hypertension, T Guzik, RM Touyz
20: Perivascular adipose tissue and metabolic syndrome, Z Yang, XF Ming

Author Information

Edited by Rob Krams, Chair in Molecular Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College, London, UK, and Magnus Back, Senior Consultant in cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Professor Krams holds a Chair in Molecular Bioengineering at Imperial College, London. Prior to joining Imperial College he worked as Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering, Thoraxcentre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and as associate professor/chair in the department of Medical Physics, Free University in Amsterdam. He received his Medical Degree and Ph.D. from the Free University, Amsterdam in 1989. His research is focussed on the molecular mechanism underlying biomechanical stimuli.

Associate Professor Magnus Bäck is senior consultant in cardiology and research team leader at the Center for Molecular Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden. The research undertaken has two main focuses: lipid mediators and valvular heart disease.

Contributors:

Kari Alitalo
Translational Cancer Biology Research Program, Institute of Biomedicine, Biomedicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

A Aspelund
Lina Badimon- Centre d'Inverstigacio Cardiovascular, Barcelona, Spain

Magnus Bäck
Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden

Marie-Luce Bochaton-Piallat
Universite de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland

Jan Borén
Department of Cardiology, Wallenberg Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

Giuseppina Caligiuri
INSERM, Laboratory for Vascular Translational Science, Paris, France

GG Camici
Peter Carmeliet
Vesalius Research Center, Leuven, Belgium

AHJ Danser
Department of Pharmacology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Michael Detmar
ETH Zurich, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland

G Eelen
Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Neurovascular Link, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Jeroen Essers
Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

GJ van Eys
Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Ingid Fleming
Vascular Research Centre, Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

Thomas Christian Gasser
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

W Gu

T Guzik
Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Scotland

Goran Hansson
Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweded

Victor van Hinsbergh
VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Joanna Kalucka
Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Neurovascular Link, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

R Kanaar
Department of Genetics and Radiation Oncology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

S Karaman

Petri Kovanen
Wihuri Research Institure, Helsinki, Finland

Rob Krams
Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, UK

Brenda Kwak
Universite de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland

Esther Lutgens
Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Justin Mason
Faculty of Medicine, The Eric Bywaters Centre for Vascular Inflammation, Imperial College, London, UK

Jean-Baptiste Michel
Universite Paris Diderot, Paris, France

XF Ming

Claudia Monaco
University of Oxford, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Oxford, UK

I van der Pluijm
Department of Genetics and Department of Vascular Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Felix Tanner
Institute of Physiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland,

BS van Thiel
Department of Genetics and Department of Vascular Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Enrico Tombetti
Department of Medicine, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy

RM Touyz

Carlie de Vries
Faculty of Medicine, University of Amstersdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Christian Weber
Institute of Epidemiology and Prophylaxis of Circulatory Diseases, Department of Preventive Vascular Medicine, August-Lenz-Stiftung, Polyclinic, University of Munich

Peter Weinberg
Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, UK

Jolanda Wentzel
Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Olov Wiklund
Department of Cardiology, Wallenberg Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

Y Xie
Quinbo Xu- BHF Centre of Regenerative Medicine, Vascular Biology Section, Department of Cardiology, James Black Centre, London, UK

Z Yang