Molecular Imaging Study of Atherosclerosis

Dear Colleagues,

Despite recent advances, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a global health challenge. Atherosclerosis, the major cause of CVD, is a chronic condition characterized by a life-long accumulation and transformation of fatty substances, fibrous elements, inflammatory cells, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and necrotic debris in the intimal layer of large and medium-sized arteries.

Over the last decade, molecular imaging of atherosclerosis has been widely employed to provide direct insights into the pathological events that participate in the disease process from its inception and development to its ultimate endpoint, thrombotic complications.

Molecular imaging is a fascinating novel discipline that aims to develop noninvasive imaging agents and technologies to visualize and quantify specific biopathological processes at the molecular, subcellular and cellular levels in vivo and over time.

By combining traditional clinical imaging  modalities such as MRI, PET and fluorescence imaging with specialized molecular imaging agents (various   nanoparticle and lipoprotein-based agents, etc.), information regarding plaque inflammation, vascularization, tissue proteolysis, oxidative stress and apoptosis can be obtained.

In clinical settings, molecular imaging studies will be useful to identify patients at a high risk for cardiovascular events, to evaluate novel atherosclerotic therapies that target specific biological processes and select individualized treatment strategies based on a patient's molecular profile that may ensure a more successful outcome. In addition, imaging technologies can specifically detect the effects of therapies that aim to stabilize plaque vulnerability and mitigate vascular inflammation.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and reviews in the field, with a focus on (but not limited to) the molecular imaging of thrombosis, vascular inflammation and senescence, endothelial dysfunction, SMC biology, immune-metabolic interactions, apoptosis, oxidative stress and tissue remodeling in different animal studies and atherosclerotic patients.

Dr. Ida Daniela Perrotta
Guest Editor

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• atherosclerosis
• thrombosis
• molecular imaging
• inflammation
• oxidative stress
• endotelial dysfunction
• SMCs
• apoptosis