| Research
at the Angiogenesis Laboratory
Amsterdam
The research of the
Angiogenesis Laboratory Amsterdam is aimed to unravel fundamental processes and
mechanisms of angiogenesis and vascular development using molecular and cell biological
techniques. The aquired knowledge is used to develop new diagnostic tools and treatment
modalities for clinical applications.
Angiogenesis,
or the sprouting of new microvasculature from pre-existing blood vessels, is a
prerequisite in a large number of different and non-related diseases. Apart from
pathologies that are characterized by insufficient angiogenesis, there is a large number
of diseases in which excessive angiogenesis is part of the pathology. These include cancer
(both solid and hematologic tumors), cardiovascular diseases (atherosclerosis,
restenosis), chronic inflammation (rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease), diabetes
(diabetic retinopathy), psoriasis, endometriosis and adiposity. Most, if not all of these
diseases may benefit from therapeutic inhibition of angiogenesis. For tumors, angiogenesis
is a prerequisite to grow beyond a certain size and allow the metastasis formation. Over
the last years it has become evident that inhibition of angiogenesis or blockade of the
tumor’s blood supply are effective ways of treating clinically relevant tumor burdens
in animal models.
Currently, the research is
structured in the following research lines:
 Line
I: Gene expression profiling of tumor endothelium
 Line
II: Development of novel angiogenesis inhibitors
 Line
III: Angiogenesis and immunity
 Line
IV: Vasculogenic mimicry
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