Aims & Activities

Aims

The Working Group on the Cellular Biology of the Heart, as the major basic science working group of the ESC, has as its main objective, the promotion of basic science research in cardiology and encouraging links between clinical medicine and laboratory-based research.
The Working Group has over 220 members who are represented by a Nucleus Group (Council) of 11 members.

The Working Group organises a significant proportion of the research symposia held each year at the societies annual meeting and regularly supports a number of other meetings and teaching programmes. Recently, a Biomed-II Concerted Action Grant to a number of group members has facilitated collaboration and research across Europe into "The New Ischaemic Syndromes: Stunning, Preconditioning and Hibernation". This collaboration has already produced a large number of publications and a number of highly successful small meetings held under the auspices of the Group.

Activities

• The Study Group on Experimental Heart Failure
  A Study Group as been officially instituted with the aim of co-ordinating the activities of basic investigators interested in experimental heart failure. In the last year this group has concentrated on characterising a model of heart failure (monocrotalline-induced CHF in rats). This collaboration has lead to publication of several scientific papers. The Study Group is open to all members of the Working Group on Cellular Biology of the Heart as well as members of other Working Groups and other scientists interested in this field.
  Members with new ideas are welcome. For further information please contact:
  Jan Willem de Jong, e-mail: j.w.dejong@tch.fgg.eur.nl
  Claudio Ceconi, e-mail: ceconi@master.cci.unibs.it

• The Study Group for preparation of Research Guidelines:
  "How to measure apoptosis in cardiovascular disease"
  The Working Group has started an original project which will result in the publication of a series of "Research Guidelines" aimed to analyse specific aspects relevant to Basic Research and, possibly, to generate a consensus.
  The first initiative will address the topic "How to measure apoptosis in cardiovascular diseases". In the last years, an increasing interest in the phenomenon of programmed cell death, so called apoptosis, has been observed.
  A "Research guideline" on this subject will emphasize critical methodological aspects and interpretative problems.