Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases constantly rate among the leading global causes or morbidity and mortality worldwide. The last decades have seen a constant and significant decrease in the incidence of these diseases driven by the growing awareness of risk factors and the progressive dissection of pathophysiological mechanisms. Yet, epidemiological studies forecast a rebound effect in the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mainly driven by the progressive increase in life expectancy. The ongoing demographic shift will sustain a new rise in the incidence of vascular events which are well-recognized age-related conditions. Furthermore, substantial developments in therapeutic strategies have also led to an increased prevalence of cardiac disease as more and more people survive the first acute event. As such, there is an urgent need to improve knowledge of the molecular basis of cardio- and cerebrovascular pathophysiology, thereby leading to the identification of novel targets and to the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

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瑞士苏黎世大学分子心脏病学中心

心血管和脑血管疾病一直是全球主要病因或发病率和死亡率之一。在过去的几十年中，由于对危险因素的意识不断增强以及病理生理机制的逐步开展，这些疾病的发病率不断且显着下降。然而，流行病学研究预测心血管疾病（CVD）发病率会反弹，这主要是由于预期寿命的逐步增加所致。正在进行的人口变化将使血管事件的发生率不断上升，而血管事件是公认的与年龄相关的疾病。此外，随着越来越多的人在第一次急性事件中幸存下来，治疗策略的重大发展也导致心脏病的患病率增加。因此，