Editorial
Welcome to Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair
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Correspondence: Massimo Pinzani m.pinzani@dmi.unifi.it
Center for Research, High Education and Transfer, Firenze, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Florence, Italy
Fibrogenesis & Tissue Repair 2008, 1:1 doi:10.1186/1755-1536-1-1
Published: 13 October 2008First paragraph (this article has no abstract)
Fibroproliferative diseases affecting different organs and systems constitute the largest burden and challenge of modern medicine. Nearly 45% of all deaths in the developed world are caused by chronic inflammatory and fibrogenic disorders such as cardiovascular disease, pulmonary fibrosis, progressive kidney disease, systemic sclerosis, liver cirrhosis and inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, chronic inflammation and fibrotic tissue remodelling associated with neo-angiogenesis represent key mechanisms leading to the development of cancer, thus accounting for an additional number of deaths. Regardless of the final clinical outcome, all chronic fibrogenic disorders have a major impact on the quality of life of millions of individuals worldwide and represent a major cost for public health. Despite the massive impact of fibroproliferative diseases on human health, there are no approved treatment options that directly target the mechanisms of fibrosis.