In the last decade, technical improvements have changed the inventory of many
research laboratories. New techniques and discoveries continuously give rise to
observations that result in the definition of new research objectives. In the past, re-
search departments were clearly demarcated. Nowadays, technology that is shared
by all lines of research stimulates convergence of research interests. This also ap-
plies to cardiovascular research. Vascular occlusive disease is now core business
for researchers employed by cardiology, vascular surgery, vascular medicine, ra-
diology, cell biology, chemistry, physiology, and many other areas. Knowledge
on actual research development is shared by researchers with different skills. It is
sometimes difficult to acquire expertise when a researcher feels his experimental
work could be improved by introducing a new research technique. In this book,
the investigator will find an overview of recent developments that are relevant
for research in general but cardiovascular research in particular. Genomics, pro-
teomics, microarray, RNAi, stem cells, and progenitor cells are just some phrases
that have become increasingly prevalent in literature in the last few years and that
are recognized by many, but are fully understood by few. In this book, experts
share the most appreciated new developments and techniques in cardiovascular
research. We hope that this book will help the reader who is working in the field
of cardiovascular research to understand and critically appreciate current research,
and that it will help improve the quality of experimental work.
