Heart experts from across Europe are meeting in Cambridge this week to discuss the development of a potential vaccine against heart disease and the role that stem cells could play in cardiac recovery.
These and other issues are being explored at the first ever European Vascular Genomics Network (EVGN) Conference, chaired by Professor Andrew Newby of Bristol University. 140 vascular biologists drawn from the 35 EVGN networked laboratories and from the wider scientific community are taking part in the conference.
Professor Newby said: “Some of Europe’s most eminent vascular biologists are holding a series of plenary lectures. Perhaps more importantly, however, there is a unique series of highly focussed workshops, each of which is designed to reach a consensus on future approaches to key areas of strategic scientific importance.
"The EVGN in general and the Conference in particular will also give emphasis to wider social issues such as gender equality, communication of scientific progress to the general public and maximising the exploitation of scientific breakthroughs through both large and small enterprises.”
EVGN, a Network of Excellence funded by the European Union within its Framework Programme Six, was implemented on 1 January 2004.
It promotes multidisciplinary interaction in the field of vascular biology by uniting 25 basic and clinical institutions (encompassing 35 academic groups), 2 biotechnology companies and 1 management company, from 10 EU Member or Associated States.
EVGN scientific coordinator Alain Tedgui said: "The Conference will allow presentation and intensive discussion of frontier research in vascular biology, in an effort to integrate research activities of all groups from the EVGN.
"The attendees will present their latest results pertaining to the three research focus areas of the EVGN: endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerotic plaque rupture and therapeutic angiogenesis. Furthermore, state-of-the-art lectures will be presented by worldwide recognized experts, on clinical perspectives of these three main research areas”.
The EVGN struggle against cardiovascular disease is fought mainly on 'post-genomic ground'. By identifying and analysing the genes and proteins – and their complex relationships – that are responsible for the onset of the diseases, it will be possible to develop new effective drugs and therapies and new tools and methods of diagnosis.