ABSTRACT
The ancient Greek philosophers appreciated the difficulties inherent in trying to unravel dynamic processes in nature. In developmental biology, the dynamics are equally complex, with a host of cell-cell, cell-matrix interactions all occurring at the same time. The superimposition of disease further complicates the process. Despite this, there have been many recent advances in uncovering the mechanisms that underlie perturbations in lung vascular development in association with chronic lung injury (CLI). Clinical and experimental studies have related morphological abnormalities in vascular growth and maturation to a host of etiologic factors that include infection, hypoxia, hyperoxia (oxygen toxicity), airway pressure-induced trauma, and high blood flow and pressure. Recent studies have identified common cellular and molecular features that provide new therapeutic targets.
