Dear Colleagues from the Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology ESC Working Group,

We hope your summer is off to a fantastic start! 

We're excited to see growing engagement with our new X page @ESCWGAVBChair! To help it thrive and reach the wider community of atherosclerosis and vascular biology enthusiasts, we’d love your support, so please do follow us, engage, and share our updates.

ESC Congress 2025 – See you in Madrid!

We are thrilled to invite you to ESC Congress 2025 taking place in Madrid from 30 August to 2 September. This year’s congress promises to be an unmissable event, featuring world-class science, innovative sessions, and vibrant networking opportunities.

As every year, our Working Group will be actively involved with numerous recommended sessions that reflect the full spectrum of vascular biology, atherosclerosis research, and translational cardiovascular medicine. We strongly encourage all members to attend and support these sessions, which highlight the strength and diversity of our community.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and shape the future of cardiovascular research.

ESCI Annual Scientific Meeting 2025 – A Multidisciplinary Success

From 5–7 June, the Annual Scientific Meeting of the European Society for Clinical Investigation (ESCI) took place in Genoa, co-organised by WG members Luca Liberale, Gemma Vilahur and Federico Carbone.

The congress brought together clinicians and researchers from across Europe, embodying the ESCI spirit of collaboration across disciplines. With strong participation from the cardiology field, impressive science, and excellent engagement from young investigators and WG members, the meeting was a clear success.

Next year’s ESCI meeting will take place in Lisbon, and we are already looking forward to it!

Bochumer Heart Days – Focus on HFpEF and Atherosclerosis

From 27–29 June, the 2nd Bochumer Heart Days were held in Bochum, Germany, with a strong scientific focus on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and atherosclerosis.

The meeting featured exceptional lectures, cutting-edge insights, and lively discussion, with a notable presence of WG AVB members. In addition to the science, the event fostered valuable networking in a stimulating and collegial atmosphere.

Gordon Conference on Atherosclerosis – Science and Community

Just a few days earlier, from 22–27 June, the Gordon Research Conference on Atherosclerosis took place in Castelldefels, near Barcelona. Organised by Esther Lutgens and Nicolas Leeper, the conference showcased high-caliber presentations by leaders such as Valentin Fuster, Peter Libby, and many others.

Our working group was well represented: Claudia Monaco co-chaired a session, Isabel Gonçalves and Holger Winkels delivered invited lectures. The closing keynote by Göran Hansson, on “How to win the Nobel Prize”, offered both insight and humour. We also warmly congratulate Menno de Winther and Ebru Erbay for their election as new vice chairs of the Gordon Conference.

Nature Reviews Cardiology Focus Issue – Metabolic Alterations in Heart Failure

We are very pleased to announce the publication of a special Focus Issue of Nature Reviews Cardiology dedicated to Metabolic Alterations in Heart Failure, released to coincide with the Society for Heart and Vascular Metabolism (SHVM) 2025 conference in Bordeaux.

The issue features five insightful contributions, including many WG AVB members, and was initiated within the framework of the EU COST Action METAHEART.

The articles are freely accessible for one month, and we encourage you to read and share them widely:

• Maack, C. Metabolic alterations in heart failure (Introductory comment)
• Mericskay, M. et al. Cardiac intermediary metabolism in heart failure
• Liberale, L. et al. Vascular (dys)function in the failing heart
• Andreadou, I. et al. Immunometabolism in heart failure
• Aksentijevic, D. et al. Mechano-energetic uncoupling in heart failure

Stay Connected!

Your input helps us grow and provides relevant content.
If you have suggestions for future newsletters or topics you'd like to see covered, please don’t hesitate to contact Luca Liberale at luca.liberale@unige.it with the subject line: WG Atherosclerosis Vascular Biology.

Thank you for being such a vital part of our community.

Let’s keep the conversation going on:

X (@ESCWGAVBChair)

LinkedIn (#AtheroMatters)

We hope to connect with many of you in person at the upcoming conferences!

Luca, Holger, Simon & Elena
On behalf of the ESC Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology