“Cardiovascular diseases”, a new thematic series from Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair, is now accepting submissions. The series, edited by Professor Ian M.C. Dixon, will publish both research and review articles relating to all aspects of cardiovascular fibroproliferative disorders, including cardiac fibrosis, the extracellular matrix and heart failure.

The series welcomes research on a wide range of topics with a particular emphasis on the following areas:

• The role of autophagy in extracellular matrix remodeling.
• The role of bone marrow stem cells in populating the heart with cardiac fibroblasts and/or myofibroblasts, and their effect on cardiac matrix remodeling in heart disease.
• The role of pericytes, EMT, EndMT, and fibrocytes in populating the heart with cardiac myofibroblasts, and their effect on cardiac matrix remodeling in heart disease.
• The role of microRNAs in controlling the function of cardiac myofibroblasts.
  
• Novel mediators and mechanisms of myofibroblast phenotype and function (intracellular signaling and mechanical stimuli).
• The expression and function of non-fibrillar collagen matrix components in cardiac matrix.
• Developments in MMP and TIMP biology and the role of these proteins in regulation of cardiac matrix in heart disease.
• Valvular interstitial cells (myofibroblasts) and valvular disease.
• The biology of cardiac myofibroblasts.

Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair has also recently welcomed several new Editorial Board members; Matthijs Blankesteijn, Michael Czubryt, Boris Hinz and Neil Turner. Their work will be among those review articles commissioned for the thematic series, addressing topics such as Wnt/frizzled signalling in cardiac pathology and myofibroblasts in post-myocardial infarction heart disease.

To submit your research to the Cardiovascular Diseases thematic series, visit the Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair website, or for more information contact the Editorial Office.