Issues in Biomedicine. Monographs in Interdisciplinary Topics / The Development of the Vascular System

Vascular development is a complex process that involves the formation, migration, proliferation, cytodifferentiation and regression of endothelial cells. The influence of the extracellular matrix on cell differentiation and the mechanical forces of haemodynamics also play a role. This book takes the reader from the precursors of endothelial cells to the definitive pattern of the embryonic vasculature, which serves as a blueprint for the adult vasculature. Early chapters are concerned with how and where the endothelial cells are generated and the mechanism by which the vascular pattern is formed. Further chapters focus on tissue interactions that occur during the formation of the vasculature of specific organs, such as limb bud, kidney, liver, lung, heart and brain. The volume attempts to define the contemporary questions and chart the future directions for research in vascular development. The information provided should be of interest to scientists in the fields of cell and developmental biology, embryology and physiology, and to clinicians in the fields of paediatrics, pathology, orthopaedics, cardiology, vascular surgery and internal medicine.