October 15-19, 2017
20th IVBM
Helsinki, Finland
June 3-7, 2018
Vasculata 2018
St. Louis, MO
July 23 - 26, 2018
 Vascular Biology
Newport, RI
October 14-18, 2018
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Training Programs on the NAVBO Website
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New Resource for Trainees
The NAVBO web site has many helpful resources. Our newest addition is a listing of Training Programs in the US. You will find this list, grouped by regions in the US, at http://www.navbo.org/resources/trainingprograms. Be sure to bookmark this page for future reference as it is constantly growing.
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Meet Councilor Kayla Bayless
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Kayla Bayless, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular & Cellular Medicine at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center. Dr. Bayless completed her graduate training in Medical Physiology at Texas A&M University focusing on extracellular matrix protein and integrin interactions before completing a post-doc in Pathology with George Davis' lab studying the role of Rho GTPases in endothelial morphogenesis at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center. She joined the Cardiovascular Research Institute, Faculty of Genetics, and Interdisciplinary Faculty of Reproductive Biology in 2005.
Dr. Bayless is recognized for investigating the initiation step of angiogenesis. Her lab reported the first evidence for a role of intermediate filaments in angiogenic sprout initiation and has since focused on additional adaptor proteins that promote sprouting in a 3D environment. More recently, she has contributed to the development of novel biomaterials which can be engineered to express a variety of growth factor fusions that self-assemble into biomaterials and hold promise as a means of instructing vascular growth in tissue engineered constructs. She currently holds research funding from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.
Dr. Bayless has served on numerous panels for the American Heart Association, as well as the NIH; she is currently a charter member of the AICS panel. Dr. Bayless is also a co-organizer for the 2017 and 2019 NAVBO workshops on Vascular Matrix Biology and Bioengineering.
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Vascular Biology 2017
NAVBO's annual meeting, Vascular Biology, received over 230 abstracts! Be sure to attend. Online registration is open through October 12, 2017. Although discouraged, you can register onsite as well.
See all meeting details at www.navbo.org/vb2017
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Congratulations to the Recipients of the NAVBO Travel Awards to the GRC!
Mahak Singhal (German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany) and Rindert Missiaen (VIB Leuven, Belgium) and were selected as the recipients of the NAVBO Travel Award to the Angiogenesis Gordon Conference, which took place from August 7-11 in Newport, Rhode Island. Congratulations to you both!
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Spotlight on Trainees
(from the August 3 issue)
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Free Access to Scientific Literature Collections for Post-docs
Elsevier,
producer of thousands of publications for professional science and healthcare communities worldwide, is offering unlimited complimentary access to all of its journals and books on
ScienceDirect, for up to one year for scholars who recently received their PhDs and currently do not hold a research position. The "
Postdoc Free Access Passport" is available by
application and aims to help scientists stay current in their fields when between positions, during funding droughts, or while working afield from their true expertise. Continued access to the scientific literature can be a lifeline for staying competitive and connected to the research community.
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Mukesh Jain Inducted into the National Academy of Medicine
 Mukesh K. Jain, MD, FAHA, a NAVBO member since 2007, has achieved
membership in the National Academy of Medicine, one of the nation's most esteemed societies for health and medicine. National Academy of Medicine membership "recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service." Dr. Jain was among 70 new members and nine foreign associates of the 2016 class of the Academy, formerly the Institute of Medicine. Dr, Jain is
the Ellery Sedgwick Jr. Chair, Professor of Medicine and Vice Dean for Medical Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He serves also as Chief Scientific Officer
of the Harrington Discovery Institute and the University Hospitals Health System and Chief Research Officer at the Harrington Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute. His laboratory has made
discoveries of essential roles for the Krüppel-like factor gene family in immunity, metabolism and cardiovascular biology, a body of work that was recognized in 2015 by receipt of NAVBO's Judah Folkman Award in Vascular Biology. Congratulations, Dr. Jain!
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Welcome to our Newest Members:
Hugh Bender, University of California, Irvine
Teresa Capasso, University of Pittsburgh
Takuto Chiba, University of Pittsburgh
Gabrielle Clark, Tulane University
Santhi Ganesh, University of Michigan
Nazli Gharraee, University of South Carolina
Jonette Green, LSU Health Sciences Center - Shreveport
Jeff Hsu, UCLA
Satoko Ito, Yokohama City University
Scott Kemp, University of Missouri
Li Lai, Houston Methodist Research Institute
Jason Lee, University of Texas at Austin
Wenqing Li, UCSD
Ching-Ling Lien, Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Hoda Maleki, University of Toronto
Junliang Pan, Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research
Shouka Parvin Nejad, University of Toronto
Scott Paulissen, NIH/NICHD
Agnes Soos, University of Toronto
Davide Treggiari, University of Pittsburgh
Mandy Turner, Queen's University
Dragoslava Vekilov, Rice University
Bingruo Wu, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
June Wu, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Jian Xu, University of Southern California
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Recent Publications by NAVBO Members
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| Mutations in EPHB4 Cause a Second Form of Capillary Malformation-Arteriovenous Malformation (CM-AVM2) Deregulating RAS-MAPK Signaling
Circulation
Background - Most AVMs are localized and occur sporadically; however they also can be multifocal in autosomal dominant disorders, such as Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) and Capillary Malformation-Arteriovenous Malformation (CM-AVM). Read more Endothelial MAPKs Direct ICAM-1 Signaling to Divergent Inflammatory Functions
Journal of Immunology
Lymphocyte transendothelial migration (TEM) is critically dependent on intraendothelial signaling triggered by adhesion to ICAM-1. Here we show that endothelial MAPKs ERK, p38, and JNK mediate diapedesis-related and diapedesis-unrelated functions of ICAM-1 in cerebral and dermal microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs). Read more Stromal Senp1 promotes mouse early folliculogenesis by regulating BMP4 expression
Cell & Bioscience
Background - Mammalian folliculogenesis, maturation of the ovarian follicles, require both growth factors derived from oocyte and surrounding cells, including stromal cells. However, the mechanism by which stromal cells and derived factors regulate oocyte development remains unclear. Read more SUMOylation Negatively Regulates Angiogenesis by Targeting Endothelial NOTCH Signaling
Circulation Research
Rationale: The highly conserved NOTCH signaling pathway functions as a key cell-cell interaction mechanism controlling cell-fate and tissue patterning, while its dysregulation is implicated in a variety of developmental disorders and cancers. Read more Dual ifgMosaic: A Versatile Method for Multispectral and Combinatorial Mosaic Gene-Function Analysis
Cell
Improved methods for manipulating and analyzing gene function have provided a better understanding of how genes work during organ development and disease. Inducible functional genetic mosaics can be extraordinarily useful in the study of biological systems; however, this experimental approach is still rarely used in vertebrates. Read more DACH1 stimulates shear stress-guided endothelial cell migration and coronary artery growth through the CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling axis
Genes & Development
Sufficient blood flow to tissues relies on arterial blood vessels, but the mechanisms regulating their development are poorly understood. Many arteries, including coronary arteries of the heart, form through remodeling of an immature vascular plexus in a process triggered and shaped by blood flow. Read more Endothelial cells respond to the direction of mechanical stimuli through SMAD signaling to regulate coronary artery size
Development
How mechanotransduction intersects with chemical and transcriptional factors to shape organogenesis is an important question in developmental biology. This is particularly relevant to the cardiovascular system, which uses mechanical signals from flowing blood to stimulate cytoskeletal and transcriptional responses that form a highly efficient vascular network. Read more |
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Industry News
(from the August 3 issue)
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Brain Endothelial Cell Specialization at the Transcriptional Level
Investigators in Sweden and Germany have
reported in Science Signaling
their results of transcriptional profiling of
mouse embryonic brain endothelial cells, seeking to identify
elements involved in blood-brain barrier (BBB) development and to distinguish this specialized tissue from peripheral vascular beds.
Using translating ribosome affinity purification and single-cell RNA sequencing,
Hupe et al. note that brain vasculature-specific genes encoding transport, adhesion, and extracellular matrix factors were differentially expressed in brain endothelial cells compared to endothelial cells from other organs during embryonic development. These data offer a rich resource for understanding the unique developmental and functional properties of this highly specialized tissue a
nd may help to improve the creation of in vitro models of the BBB.
Merger of American Heart and American Society of Hypertension
Two major scientific and clinical organizations focused on cardiovascular disease and education plan to join forces, as reported by
PRNewswire
. As of 2018,
the American Society of Hypertension Board and Committee Members will be folded into the American Heart Association Hypertension Leadership Committee. Thus
ASH will dissolve as a singular enterprise, aligning its leadership, members, and activities with the mission and framework of the AHA. The unified organization will remain committed to funding innovative research, fighting for stronger public health policies, and providing critical tools, education, and information to save and improve lives affected by diseases of the circulatory system.
AJP - Heart and Circulatory Physiology
Seeks Papers on Select Topics
The American Journal of Physiology's periodical focused on cardiac and vascular topics has issued a
special call for papers
on select topics. Of particular interest to NAVBO members may be the appeal for papers on "Extracellular Matrix in Cardiovascular Pathophysiology," due by February 1, 2018. Special call editors Drs. Martinez-Lemus, Bloksgaard, and Lindsey
welcome original manuscripts
addressing specific mechanisms that intersect ECM-cellular interactions in any area or component of the cardiovascular system, as well as on the mechanisms by which specific ECM remodeling characteristics affect cell signaling, inflammation, and tissue repair. Other topics identified include "Cardiac Regeneration and Repair" and "Novel Mechanisms of Myocardial Ischemia, Ischemia - Reperfusion, and Protection by Myocardial Conditioning" (both due 2/1/18), as well as "miRNA Regulation of the Mitochondrion in Cardiovascular Disease" (8/31/17) and "Advances in Cardiovascular Geroscience" (9/30/17).
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Advocating for Science - Call to Action
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Contacting Your Representatives Can Make a Difference for Science
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released a white paper today offering recommendations for short-term budget action, and the list starts with replacing the current sequestration budget caps with more reasonable (read "higher") budget limits. It speaks volumes when key national thought leaders from both sides of the aisle assert the need for a deal that provides more room for discretionary budget growth. Use this action alert to reinforce their call to action in this regard.
If you are a U.S. citizen, let your U.S. representatives hear from you and encourage them to be advocating for science. There are many methods by which to reach out - from attending meetings or personal visits to congressional offices, to doing something as simple as writing a postcard. Be sure to reach out to your district and state representatives. Now, in addition to funding the NIH budget and other federal biomedical research budgets, scientists must clearly express how other policies impact scientific collaboration, a key component in the scientific process.
For more information on public policy affecting the scientific community and ways that you can help, please visit NAVBO's Advocacy page - www.navbo.org/resources/advocate
Here are links to organizations that encourage, support and aid science advocates:
Coalition for the Life Sciences
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
Research!America
If you are aware of other groups, please let us know and we will post them in future newsletter issues (send to info@navbo.org).
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