Interest in angiogenesis research remains strong in recent years and exciting new discoveries, about modulators of angiogenesis, their receptors, the transduction mechanisms and the angiogenic genes involved, have contributed to our present day understanding of this complex process. This knowledge has provided the basis and broadened the scope of angiogenesis - based therapy in oncology and many other clinical conditions. This monograph contains the contributions to the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Angiogenesis: Models, Modulators and Clinical Applications", which was held in Rhodes, Greece, from June 20-30, 1997. This was the fourth of a series of NATO supported international meetings on Angiogenesis aiming to bring together basic scientists with clinicians to exchange ideas, disseminate new knowledge and discuss the present status and potential new directions in this fast moving area of biomedical research. The International Organising Committee that included Drs. E. Dejana, C Haudenschild, M. Hackel, H. Kleinman, P. Lelkes, M. Presta, P. Polverini, D. Thompson, has provided invaluable help with their insightful suggestions in the formulation of the scientific program for which I am grateful. I wish to thank all the participants for their enthusiastic participation and their complimentary comments on the success of the conference.

Introductory Comments.- Models and Methods for Assessing Angiogenesis.- Microvascular Endothelial Cells from Adrenal Medulla-A Model for in Vitro Angiogenesis.- Angiogenesis in the Heart and skeletal Muscle-Models for Capillary Growth.- Basement Membrane Biosynthesis as a Biochemical Index of Angiogenesis in Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane.- The Rat and Rabbit Cornea Assays.- The Rat aorta Model of Angiogenesis: Methodology and Applications.- Assessment of Angiogenesis by MRI.- Measuring Intratumoral Microvessel Density.- Patterns of Physiological Angiogeneis in Adult Mesentery.- Angiogenesis-Critical Assessement of in VitroAssays and in VivoModels.- Angiogenic Factors and Their Receptors.- The Several Roles of Oxygen in Wound Healing.- Autocrine Role of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (B-FGF) in Angiogenesis and Angioproliferative Diseases.- Inflammatory Angiogenic Factors in a Model of Chronic Inflammation.- Angiogenic Mediators in Wound Healing.- Modulation of VEGF Angiogenic Activity by ADP-Ribosylation.- Role of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 and Endothelial Cell Stimulating Angiogenic Factor (ESAF) in Capillary Growth in skeletal Muscles Exposed to Long-Term High Activity.- Angiogenesis in Atherosclerosis: Possible Roles for ESAF, VEGF, VWF and Soluble E-Selectin.- Thymosin Beta 4 Promotes Endothelial Cell Migration and Angiogenesis.- Structural Studies on Angiogenin, a Protein Implicated in Neovascularisation during Tumour Growth.- Lesionai Levels of ESAF and VEGF Are Elevated in Psoriasis.- Role of Cell Adhesion Molecules and Extracellular Matrix in Angiogenesis.- Structure and Functional Role of Endothelial Cell-to Cell Junctions.- The Interaction of Human Neutrophils with Type IV Collagen Involves an Inhibitory Signal Transduction Pathway.- AngiogenicPolypeptides in Breast Cancer. Expression of mRNAs in Primary Human Tumours, MCF-7 Cell Transfection and Xenograft Models.- Role of Thrombosis and Fibrinolysis in Angiogenesis.- The Role of Thrombin and Its Receptors in Angiogenesis: Physiological and Pathological Implications.- Fibrin Degradative Pathways and Angiogenesis in Healing, Atherosclerosis and Tumor Invasion.- Proteases and Angiogenesis: Regulation of Plasminogen Activators and Matrix Metalloproteases by Endothelial Cells.- Cellular and Molecular Effects of Thrombin in the Vascular System.- Regulation of Angiogenesis.- Endogenous Regulation of Angiogenesis in Vitro.- Nitric Oxide and Angiogenesis.- Nitric Oxide: A Promoter or Suppressor of Angiogenesis.- Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Enhances Tube Formation of Cultured Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells: The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species.- Tumor Angiogenesis and Metastasis: The Regulatory Role of Hyaluronan and Its Degradation Produces.- Cytokines and Growth Factors. Early Gene Expression during Angiogenic Stimuli.- The Role of Laminin Peptide SIKVAV in the Revascularization of Ischemic Tissue.- Oxidized Lipoproteins Enhance the in Vitro Tube Formation by Endothelial Cells Cultured on Matrigel.- A Peptide from the NC1 Domain of the Alpha-3 Chain of Type IV Collagen Prevents Damage to Basement Membranes by PMN.- Human Pathology and Clinical Developments.- Tumor Vascularity: What Does It Tell Us about the Growth and Spread of Cancer?.- Tumor Vascularity, Hypoxia and Malignant Progression in Solid Neoplasms.- Scatter Factor as a Mediator of Tumor Angiogenesis: Recent Clinical and Experimental Studies.- Clinical Applications.- The Vascularization of Experimental and Human Primary Tumors: Comparative Morphometric and Morphologic Studies.- The Evolution of an Anti-Tumor Agent from a Neonatal Pathogen: Preclinical and Clinical Evidence for Targeting Tumor Neovasculature.- Mapping Neovascularization and Antineovascularization Therapy Using MRI.- Clinical Trials of Angiogenesis-Based Therapies: Overview and New Guiding Principles.- Abstracts of Posters.- Participants' Photo.- List of Participants.