Despite significant advances in medical management, atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular disease (CVD) are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in developed countries, and the World Health Organization has estimated that by 2020 these inflammatory disorders will be the main sanitary and socio-economic problem world-wide in part due to progressive aging of our societies. However, our understanding of how inflammation and aging contribute to CVD is still poor. Combining new knowledge in these fields with advanced imaging may set the basis for the development of diagnostic tools to identify individuals at high risk for atherosclerosis and thereby guide preventive and therapeutic modalities long before the clinical manifestations of these aging-related diseases. Cutting edge research in these areas may also enable the development of theranostic probes with combined therapeutic and diagnostic value to combat CVD.

In this conference, we will discuss the most recent advances in the field of vascular inflammation, aging and imaging, both from a basic and a medical perspective. The meeting will cover molecular, cellular and genetic aspects of vascular inflammation and aging, as well as new frontiers in the development and application of preclinical and clinical imaging modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound (US), positron-emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (PET/CT) and digitally-integrated MRI/PET/CT.