Atherosclerosis Pathogenesis and Microvascular Dysfunction

This book provides new perspectives on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Chapters cover atherosclerosis risk factors, the effect of growth and aging on vascular architecture, and the crucial role the microvasculature plays in atherosclerosis development. Microvascular dysfunction would explain why the well-known risk factors actually put individuals at higher risk. This pathomechanism would also hold true not only for obstructive atheroma formation but also for aneurysmal dilatation as well as for aortic and peripheral artery dissection. When seen through this lens, novel preventive and therapeutic opportunities can be envisioned.

Atherosclerosis Pathogenesis and Microvascular Dysfunction proposes a single unifying mechanism of atherosclerosis development and describes potential preventative and therapeutic avenues based on this concept. It therefore represents a timely and valuable resource for internal medicine, cardiology, angiology cardiovascular surgeons, pathology clinicians, researchers, trainees, and students.

Professor Axel Haverich completed his medical training at the MHH and was appointed head of Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Kiel in 1993. Since 1996, he has been the head of the Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery at MHH. In 1995, he won the prestigious Leibniz Prize from the German Research Foundation (DFG). With this award, he founded the Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs. There, the foundation was laid for many scientific achievements including bioengineered heart valves that grow with the patient and a bioengineered vascular graft for coronary reconstruction based on an autologous fibrin matrix.  His company “CorLife” has provided >250 decellularized heart valves to children and adolescents. Here, two clinical trials have been funded by EU grants.  He has been granted several patents in the field of tissue engineering, such as for a biological vascularized autologous matrix which can replace damaged myocardium. Prof. Haverich served as the coordinator of the Excellence Cluster “From Regenerative Biology to Reconstructive Therapy” from 2006 to 2018. In addition to being the Chairman of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery from 2007-2009, he was the president of the German Society of Surgery from 2010 to 2011. He has published over 1000 peer-reviewed papers and has contributed to numerous books.