Angiogenesis: molecular mechanisms of activation, promotion and maintenance.

The formation of new blood vessels is a fundamental process that occurs during embryonic and post-natal development but also in a number of pathologies ranging from cancer to chronic inflammatory disease. The molecular regulations of this process are complex since they require signalling that modifies both the quantity and the quality of the vasculature. Many players have been characterized and there are many more still to come. In this article I will review basic concepts and some of the major regulatory pathways and there implication in physiological and pathological angiogenesis.