The Discovery of Angiogenic Factors: a Historical Review 
 
 

 
 
Domenico Ribatti, Angelo Vacca, Marco Presta*

 
Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza G. Cesare 11, Policlinico di Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy.
*Dept. of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Back to Presta's lab
 
     
    The Discovery of Angiogenic Factors: a Historical Review
 
Angiogenesis is a biological process by which new capillaries are formed and it occurs in many physiological and pathological conditions. 

It is controlled by the net balance between molecules that have positive and negative regulatory activity and this concept had led to the notion of the ‘‘angiogenic switch,’’ depending on an increased production of one or more of the positive regulators of angiogenesis. 

Numerous inducers of angiogenesis have been identified and this review offers a historical account of the relevant literature concerning the discovery of the best-characterized angiogenic factors.
 
 
 

General Pharmacology, 35: 227-231 (2002)
AIRC: Special Project Angiogenesis