Cardiovascular Genomics

After more than 50 years of limited success in controlling blood pressure with traditional antihypertensive drugs, the time is ripe to explore alternate strategies for managing cardiovascular diseases. In Cardiovascular Genomics, recognized scientists and clinicians from around the world discuss the most recent molecular approaches to understanding the cardiovascular system in both health and disease. The authors focus on all components of the system, including blood vessels, heart, kidneys, and the brain, and cover disease states ranging from vascular and cardiac dysfunction to stroke and hypertension. The methods described for identifying the genes that cause susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases emphasize the possibility of discovering new drug targets. They involve genetic linkage analysis and substitution mapping using congenic strains, microarray techniques, and strategies for discovery in animal models of hypertension. The new transgenic mouse models that either over- or underexpress angiotensinogen are used to illuminate the function of the tissue renin-angiotensin systems, enhancing the understanding of the role of polymorphisms, a crucial factor for effective design of new drugs. The chapters on gene transfer and gene therapy cover a wide variety of topics ranging from novel clinical applications for treating stroke, coronary, and peripheral vascular diseases, to producing new cardiovascular cells and tissues, to using viral vectors as tools. A value-added compact disk containing a companion ebook version of Cardiovascular Genomics is included for downloading and use in the reader's PC or PDA. Authoritative and ground-breaking, Cardiovascular Genomics offers an unprecedented examination of both cutting-edge scientific approaches through the new science of cardiovascular genomics, and the efficacious results it is now possible to obtain.