Dear colleagues,
The past months have offered valuable opportunities to connect, exchange ideas, and advance vascular science across our community, with many more exciting events ahead.
A successful and growing platform
This year, Cologne, Germany hosted the Vascular Medicine and Atherosclerosis Congress (VMAC) from 5–7 February, the 7th annual joint meeting of DACH, DGFL, and DGAF since its premiere in 2019. The congress offered an exciting and cutting-edge basic science and clinical programme on atherosclerosis and featured, for the first time, a dedicated session with the European Society of Cardiology, Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology (see in the picture WG-AVB Nucleus members participating to the joint session). The event welcomed nearly 200 participants and achieved a record of 49 abstract submissions. Highlights included the Young Investigator Award session and outstanding lectures by Working Group members. Following this year’s success, VMAC 2027 is planned to return to Cologne.
The session “The Exposome and Cardiovascular Disease,” organised with the contribution of our Working Group, took place on 17 April, 11:40–13:10, during Frontiers in Cardiovascular Biomedicine (FCVB) 2026 (17–19 April, Leuven, Belgium). This meeting represents a unique opportunity to engage with colleagues from around the world and explore the latest advances spanning the entire spectrum of cutting-edge basic and translational cardiovascular research.
ESCI Annual Scientific Meeting 2026 — Lisbon
We are pleased to highlight the upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting of the European Society for Clinical Investigation (ESCI), taking place at Nova Medical School in Lisbon, Portugal, from 3–5 June 2026. The programme will feature two joint sessions bringing together the ESC Working Groups on Thrombosis, Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology, and Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation in collaboration with ESCI. These sessions will showcase innovative research in vascular biology, inflammation, atherothrombosis, and cardiometabolic disease in a highly interactive translational setting. Distinguished speakers — including ESC President Professor Thomas Lüscher — will further enrich the scientific programme. We warmly encourage our community to submit abstracts and actively participate, and to explore the many opportunities for early-career researchers, including travel grants and awards.
More information
ESC Congress 2026 — Munich: save the date
We encourage you to mark your calendars for ESC Congress 2026, taking place in Munich, Germany. This flagship event will once again bring together the global cardiovascular community and offer an exceptional platform to present your latest discoveries, build collaborations, and strengthen the visibility of vascular biology research within ESC. We strongly encourage members of our Working Group to attend our sessions, and contribute to a strong and active presence of the Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology community.
New opportunity for young investigators: Translational Best Paper Calls
To further support and recognise emerging talents, the ESC Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology is launching two annual calls for the Best Translational Paper in the field. The selected paper will be highlighted in an upcoming Working Group newsletter, with dedicated visibility given to both the scientific findings and the young investigator behind the work, promoting their research and career development within the ESC community.
We invite eligible investigators to submit their applications, including:
• Curriculum Vitae (maximum 1 page)
• Letter of application indicating the selected original article
• Copy of the published original article
Applications should be sent to wgatherosclerosisbiology@gmail.com with the subject line: "Best translational paper"
Eligibility criteria:
• Age < 40 years at the time of application
• First authorship position on the submitted manuscript
• Paper published from August 2025 (online or in issue) until the call deadline: 31 July 2026
We strongly encourage colleagues to apply and share this opportunity within their institutions and networks.
Our mission and your voice
Our main mission remains advancing the science of atherosclerosis and vascular biology while fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange. Your feedback is invaluable – if you have suggestions for topics you would like covered in future newsletters, emerging research of interest, or ideas to enhance our activities, please reach out to Luca Liberale (luca.liberale@unige.it) with the subject line: WG Atherosclerosis Vascular Biology.
Nucleus members of the WG Atherosclerosis Vascular Biology in the recent meeting held on 06/02 at the Heart House in Brussels.
Thank you for being an integral part of our community. We look forward to connecting with you online via X and LinkedIn (#AtheroMatters) and to seeing many of you at ESC Congress 2026 and other exciting events this year.
Warm regards,
Luca, Holger, Simon & Elena
On behalf of the ESC Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology
