Schoen Presidential Address
During the last approximately three decades there has been considerable growth and maturation of basic and 
applied vascular and cardiac biology as scientific disciplines. During this timeframe, and largely as a consequence of major developments in cardiac and vascular sur-gery, interventional cardiology, cardiovascular imaging and the broad scientific fields of cell, molecular and developmental biology, there have been numerous advances in our understanding of cardiovascular function, pathophysiology and mechanisms of disease, as well as expansion of the critical role of the cardiovascular biologist in facilitating technological progress. In particular, the applied cardiovascular biologist has been recognized as an expert not only in knowledge but also in the methodology and approaches in cardiovascular research. The challenges engendered by difficult to manage cardiovascular disease coupled with the opportunities for scientific and technological progress stimulated the formation of the International Society for Applied Cardio-vascular Biology (ISACB) approximately two decades ago. Poised at the threshold of maturity, and having successfully and uniquely nurtured a strong and effective alliance among academic scientists, clinicians and industry-based scientists, the ISACB must take stock of its strengths and vulnerabilities. Important scientific and technical challenges abound. Despite over twenty-five years of staggering new basic scientific and practical advances in vascular biology, including impressive advances into the mechanisms of atherogenesis and its complications, valvular heart disease and myocardial failure, the implementation into clinical practice of these discoveries in the form of a substantially safer and more effective small diameter vascular graft or heart valve, a treatment that eliminates restenosis following therapeutic endovascular manipulation, or an effective bio-logical treatment for congestive heart failure have not been realized. Clearly, our broad field welcomes interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary approaches to the regulation of responses of tissues to injury and biomaterials in order to improve clinical outcomes. Applied cardiovascular biology is integral to both preclinical research and development and clinical trials of cardiovascular therapies and devices.
The ISACB and its values are increasingly pertinent to progress in modern cardiovascular therapeutics. Important and difficult scientific and technical challenges continue to be abundant, and clinical progress toward developing and getting the “right drug, procedure or device, to the right patient, at the right time” has created an immense need for not only “traditional” focused hypothesis-driven investigation, but also studies that validate the efficacy and safety of diagnostic imaging and laboratory tests, and therapeutic techniques, procedures and devices, including ad-vanced biomaterials, endovascular techniques and devices, including stents, and vascular grafts, prosthetic cardiac valves, and cardiac assist and other innovative devices. It is critical at this juncture that the ISACB extend its focus beyond traditional applied research to clinical transla-tion of novel cardiovascular therapies, especially in the areas of tissue engineering and regenera-tive medicine approaches to the alleviation of cardiovascular disease.
The ISACB was founded as a truly international collaboration among clinicians who face clinical problems and scientists who are motivated and have the expertise to help find solutions that can be integrated into clinical practice. ISACB has recognized from the beginning that part-nership with corporate scientists and their research and development is critical in implementing effective progress, and ISACB has harnessed the intellectual input of corporate colleagues at our meetings and in our leadership. ISACB must develop effective mutually-beneficial collabora-tions that engage our corporate and academic colleagues as equal partners. Moreover, ISACB needs to welcome the valuable participation of the more than a few leading academic clinicians and scientists who have, over the past several years, departed academia for large pharmaceutical or medical device companies to continue to develop their careers in that environment; such indi-viduals should clearly understand how worthwhile collaboration across this historical “cultural” divide can be maximized. As eloquently stated by the former ISACB President Peter Zilla, these “traditional roles and stereotypes must rapidly wane in light of the complexity that is required for any biologically ‘conscientious’ product of today or tomorrow. ...and ... industry scientists must be better integrated within the academic and medical communities”. In this respect, ongoing modest financial investment in and support of ISACB by a broad consortium of pharmaceutical and medical device companies developing and marketing cardiovascular products, both estab-lished and start-up, is totally justified.
ISACB has a great opportunity (and obligation) to engage its constituencies through the biennial meetings, which have always been highly informative, cutting edge, collegial and enjoy-able. Following a most successful meeting in La Jolla, California in March, 2006, the next major ISACB meeting is being planned for Bordeaux, France in September, 2008. Although a formal meeting title has not yet been finalized, the themes will likely emphasize “convergence of bioma-terials, devices and bioscience” and “clinical translation”. The Program Committee has been ac-tively planning contemporary thematic sessions with cutting-edge content. Key factors in plan-ning both the venue and social program are convenience and cost; toward this end, a university setting will be used to the greatest extent possible.
ISACB should foster strategic collaborations and synergistic relationships with other pro-fessional societies of partially overlapping interest in which each organization retains its own identity, strengths and focus. Indeed, several years ago, following recognition of strong overlap of concerns of ISACB and the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology (SCVP), particularly related to the pathobiology of vascular injury, ISACB and SCVP initiated several collaborative initiative, including: Publication of ISACB meeting abstracts in Cardiovascular Pathology, the official journal of the SCVP; solicitation of individual manuscripts from selected ISACB presentations as original contributions for peer-reviewed publication in Cardiovascular Pathology; appoint-ment of Peter Zilla and Howard Greisler (both ISACB Past-Presidents) to the Editorial Board of Cardiovascular Pathology; and co-sponsorship of sessions at ISACB, SCVP and American So-ciety for Investigative Pathology meetings. A similar collaboration with the Society For Bioma-terials is under consideration.
Finally, ISACB should improve its financial position and member engagement, and struc-ture its mode of governance to gain strength and flourish through the next decade. In this regard, the most important strategic goals for ISACB are to 1) increase its dues-paying, engaged, biennial meeting-attending membership, recruit and retain young (and not so young) members through compelling value by means of high-quality, “can’t miss”, and self-supporting meetings as well as in-between meeting communication and other benefits, 2) further define its unique and critical mission, 3) continue to build its case for broad, durable corporate support, and 4) maintain an economical administrative infrastructure that maximally meets the needs of members. As the President of ISACB, I strongly wish to see our organization continue to flourish, gain strength and thrive. I welcome your suggestions and cooperation to help make this happen.
Frederick J. Schoen, M.D., Ph.D.
President, ISACB
8/15/06
