The Development of the Vascular System: Embryonic Development of Blood Vessels; F. Dieterlen-Lievre, L. Pardanaud. Regulation of Embryonic Blood Vessel; H. Drexler et al.. Biology of Endothelial Cells and Angiogenesis: Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor and Endothelial Cells; M. Presta, et al. Role of Integrinss in Endothelial Cell Function; E. Dejana, et al. Angiogenesis in Disease States: Angiogenesis and Neoplastic Transformation; P.M. Gullino. Tumor Induced Angiogenesis; J.L. Ambrus, et al. Promoters and Inhibitors of Angiogenesis: Brain Tumor Angiogenesis; C. Guerin, et al. Therapeutic Potential of Promoters and Inhibitors of Angiogenesis: On Promoter of Angiogenesis and Therapeutic Potential; P.M. Gullino. Methodology: Assays for Angiogenic Factors; J.B. Weiss. 23 additional articles. Index.

Proceedings of the 5th Biannual International Meeting on Angiogenesis: From the Molecular to Integrative Pharmacology, held July 1-7, 1999, in Crete, Greece. Angiogenesis, as a vastly complex biological process, has challenged researchers from all basic scientific disciplines, including pharmacology, biochemistry, physiology, embryology and anatomy. The significance of this phenomenon for the study of disease states has also interested clinicians from a number of specialist fields. This multidisciplinary work reflects the growth of awareness of concepts such as angiogenesis based therapy, the enormous therapeutic and commercial potential of which has attracted major research and investment in recent years. This volume, which aims to bridge the gap between basic and clinical methodology and understanding, presents the most up-to-date developments in this field.

In addition to its central role in blood coagulation, it has become increasingly apparent that thrombin and thrombin receptors are involved in many other physiological processes and can contribute to a variety of disease states such as tumor progression and metastasis, inflammation, neurological disorders and cardiovascular complications. This book is a collection of reviews of up-to-date information on the above topics by leaders in these fields. This book will be of value to researchers and academic professionals both in basic and clinical science who are interested in the fields of biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology, pharmacology, cancer, inflammation, angiogenesis, cardiovascular system and neuronal system. These areas of research are prime target areas for drug development by many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Interest in angiogenesis research remains strong in recent years and exciting new discoveries, about modulators of angiogenesis, their receptors, the transduction mechanisms and the angiogenic genes involved, have contributed to our present day understanding of this complex process. This knowledge has provided the basis and broadened the scope of angiogenesis - based therapy in oncology and many other clinical conditions. This monograph contains the contributions to the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Angiogenesis: Models, Modulators and Clinical Applications," which was held in Rhodes, Greece, from June 20-30, 1997. This was the fourth of a series of NATO supported international meetings on Angiogenesis aiming to bring together basic scientists with clinicians to exchange ideas, disseminate new knowledge and discuss the present status and potential new directions in this fast moving area of biomedical research. The International Organising Committee that included Drs. E. Dejana, C Haudenschild, M. Hackel, H. Kleinman, P. Lelkes, M. Presta, P. Polverini, D. Thompson, has provided invaluable help with their insightful suggestions in the formulation of the scientific program for which I am grateful. I wish to thank all the participants for their enthusiastic participation and their complimentary comments on the success of the conference.

Angiogenesis is a multistep process, which involves activation, proliferation and directed migration of endothelial cells to form new capillaries from existing vessels. Under physiological conditions, in the adult organisms angiogenesis is extremely slow, yet it can be activated for a limited time only in situations such as ovulation or wound healing. In a number of disease states, however, there is a derangement of angiogenesis, which can contribute to the pathology of these conditions. Hence, understanding the molecular biology of endothelial cell activation and differentiation and the mechanisms involved in the regulation of angiogenesis, could explain the derangement in disease states and also provide the basis for developing promoters or suppressors of angiogenesis for clinical applications. This book contains the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Angiogenesis: Molecular Biology, Oinical Aspects" held in Rhodes, Greece, from June 16-27, 1993. This meeting was a comprehensive review of the various aspects of angiogenesis such as embryonic development, endothelial cell heterogeneity and tissue specificity, molecular biology of endothelial cell, mechanisms for the regulation of angiogenesis, disease states in which angiogenesis is involved and potential application of promoters or suppressors of angiogenesis. The presentations and discussions of the meeting provided an opportunity for investigators from many different areas of basic science and medicine to exchange information, evaluate the present status and provide future research directions in the field of angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis is a multistep process, which involves activation, proliferation and directed migration of endothelial cells to form new capillaries from existing vessels. Under physiological conditions, in the adult organisms angiogenesis is extremely slow, yet it can be activated for a limited time only in situations such as ovulation or wound healing. In a number of disease states, however, there is a derangement of angiogenesis, which can contribute to the pathology of these conditions. Hence, understanding the molecular biology of endothelial cell activation and differentiation and the mechanisms involved in the regulation of angiogenesis, could explain the derangement in disease states and also provide the basis for developing promoters or suppressors of angiogenesis for clinical applications. This book contains the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Angiogenesis: Molecular Biology, Oinical Aspects" held in Rhodes, Greece, from June 16-27, 1993. This meeting was a comprehensive review of the various aspects of angiogenesis such as embryonic development, endothelial cell heterogeneity and tissue specificity, molecular biology of endothelial cell, mechanisms for the regulation of angiogenesis, disease states in which angiogenesis is involved and potential application of promoters or suppressors of angiogenesis. The presentations and discussions of the meeting provided an opportunity for investigators from many different areas of basic science and medicine to exchange information, evaluate the present status and provide future research directions in the field of angiogenesis.

Interest in angiogenesis research remains strong in recent years and exciting new discoveries, about modulators of angiogenesis, their receptors, the transduction mechanisms and the angiogenic genes involved, have contributed to our present day understanding of this complex process. This knowledge has provided the basis and broadened the scope of angiogenesis - based therapy in oncology and many other clinical conditions. This monograph contains the contributions to the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Angiogenesis: Models, Modulators and Clinical Applications," which was held in Rhodes, Greece, from June 20-30, 1997. This was the fourth of a series of NATO supported international meetings on Angiogenesis aiming to bring together basic scientists with clinicians to exchange ideas, disseminate new knowledge and discuss the present status and potential new directions in this fast moving area of biomedical research. The International Organising Committee that included Drs. E. Dejana, C Haudenschild, M. Hackel, H. Kleinman, P. Lelkes, M. Presta, P. Polverini, D. Thompson, has provided invaluable help with their insightful suggestions in the formulation of the scientific program for which I am grateful. I wish to thank all the participants for their enthusiastic participation and their complimentary comments on the success of the conference.

Proceedings of the 5th Biannual International Meeting on Angiogenesis: From the Molecular to Integrative Pharmacology, held July 1-7, 1999, in Crete, Greece. Angiogenesis, as a vastly complex biological process, has challenged researchers from all basic scientific disciplines, including pharmacology, biochemistry, physiology, embryology and anatomy. The significance of this phenomenon for the study of disease states has also interested clinicians from a number of specialist fields. This multidisciplinary work reflects the growth of awareness of concepts such as angiogenesis based therapy, the enormous therapeutic and commercial potential of which has attracted major research and investment in recent years. This volume, which aims to bridge the gap between basic and clinical methodology and understanding, presents the most up-to-date developments in this field.

There has been an explosion of research activity related to angiogenesis in recent years, and hundreds of laboratories worldwide are actively involved in many aspects of angiogenesiS. The literature on angiogenesis increases exponentially every year, and more than 16,000 peer-reviewed articles have been published the past 25 years, which are scattered in basic science and clinical journals. The complexity of the cascade of events leading to new vessel formation from preexisting ones has challenged scientists in cell biology, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, molecular biology, developmental biology, and other fields. With their multidisciplinary approach and the powerful new techniques that have been developed, the progress in understanding angiogenesis has been impressive indeed. Only 12 years ago the mention of an angiogenic factor caused skepticism. Today we have the complete amino-acid fiequence and their genes cloned for at least 9 angiogenic factors. Many laboratories are studying their role in angiogenesis, and several biotechnology firms have a keen interest in commercial developments relative to these molecules. The role of extracellular matrix components in angiogenesis and the interaction of endothelial cells with other cell types such as pericytes, smooth muscle cells, and inflammatory cells have been studied by other groups. This rapid expansion is the result of a realization that in many disease states a common underlying pathology is a derangement in angiogenesis.

In addition to its central role in blood coagulation, it has become increasingly apparent that thrombin and thrombin receptors are involved in many other physiological processes and can contribute to a variety of disease states such as tumor progression and metastasis, inflammation, neurological disorders and cardiovascular complications. This book is a collection of reviews of up-to-date information on the above topics by leaders in these fields.

This book will be of value to researchers and academic professionals both in basic and clinical science who are interested in the fields of biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology, pharmacology, cancer, inflammation, angiogenesis, cardiovascular system and neuronal system. These areas of research are prime target areas for drug development by many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.