Cardiovascular diseases have evolved as the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with the frequency expected to increase in the next coming years. Cardiovascular disease summarizes a variety of different pathologies, including but not limited to heart failure, atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, inherited cardiomyopathies, or toxic cardiomyopathy (e.g., alcoholic). Plus, the interaction with important comorbidities, like for example sleep-disordered breathing, further reduces patients’ outcome. Despite recent treatment advances, especially in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, patients’ prognosis remains dramatically reduced, necessitating new therapeutic strategies. This could be achieved by patient-individualized approaches optimized for the various cardiovascular disease entities and their comorbidities. Therefore, detailed understanding of each individual pathomechanism is required.New pharmacological compounds like the gliflozins have been demonstrated to improve cardiovascular outcome, however the underlying effect mechanisms of these highly beneficial compounds are not fully understood. Further insights will improve our knowledge about cardiovascular diseases and could thus lead to the development of new optimized therapeutic approaches. In addition, novel technologies have recently broadened the spectrum of pharmacological interventions. For example, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing has been shown to be a feasible therapeutic strategy for inherited cardiomyopathies, but also for common cardiac disorders like myocardial infarction. Recognizing the importance of new therapeutic achievements, and the need for more thorough understanding of underlying mechanisms, Frontiers presents a special edition Research Topic titled "Insights in Cardiovascular and Smooth Muscle Pharmacology: 2023”.This Research Topic focuses on illuminating new insights, novel developments, current challenges, and future prospects in this dynamic field by highlighting studies delineating the pathomechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, thereby providing new potential targets for therapeutic interventions.This Research Topic solicits brief, forward-looking contributions from the editorial board members and other leaders in this field that describe the state of the art, outlining recent developments and major accomplishments that have been achieved and that need to occur to move the field forward. Authors are encouraged to identify the greatest challenges in the sub-disciplines, and how to address those challenges. In addition, we are looking for original articles that describe or apply novel developments and technologies that will move the field forward, as long as they are within the scope of the Research Topic and the mission statement of the Cardiovascular and Smooth Muscle Pharmacology section.The following topics are of particular interest:- Understanding pathomechanisms in a specific cardiovascular disease (e.g., in alcoholic cardiomyopathy)- Insights into the interaction of cardiovascular diseases and comorbidities (e.g., sleep-disordered breathing)- Identification of a targetable effector to disrupt pathological signaling- Application or optimization of therapeutic strategies- Insights into effect mechanisms of current cardiovascular medications (e.g., gliflozins)- Cutting-edge pharmacological technologies (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9 including delivery methods)- Next-generation diagnostic tools to monitor disease progression or treatment (e.g., single-cell omics, cell-free DNA or RNA, etc.)
Cardiovascular diseases have evolved as the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with the frequency expected to increase in the next coming years. Cardiovascular disease summarizes a variety of different pathologies, including but not limited to heart failure, atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, inherited cardiomyopathies, or toxic cardiomyopathy (e.g., alcoholic). Plus, the interaction with important comorbidities, like for example sleep-disordered breathing, further reduces patients’ outcome. Despite recent treatment advances, especially in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction, patients’ prognosis remains dramatically reduced, necessitating new therapeutic strategies. This could be achieved by patient-individualized approaches optimized for the various cardiovascular disease entities and their comorbidities. Therefore, detailed understanding of each individual pathomechanism is required.New pharmacological compounds like the gliflozins have been demonstrated to improve cardiovascular outcome, however the underlying effect mechanisms of these highly beneficial compounds are not fully understood. Further insights will improve our knowledge about cardiovascular diseases and could thus lead to the development of new optimized therapeutic approaches. In addition, novel technologies have recently broadened the spectrum of pharmacological interventions. For example, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing has been shown to be a feasible therapeutic strategy for inherited cardiomyopathies, but also for common cardiac disorders like myocardial infarction. Recognizing the importance of new therapeutic achievements, and the need for more thorough understanding of underlying mechanisms, Frontiers presents a special edition Research Topic titled "Insights in Cardiovascular and Smooth Muscle Pharmacology: 2023”.This Research Topic focuses on illuminating new insights, novel developments, current challenges, and future prospects in this dynamic field by highlighting studies delineating the pathomechanisms of cardiovascular diseases, thereby providing new potential targets for therapeutic interventions.This Research Topic solicits brief, forward-looking contributions from the editorial board members and other leaders in this field that describe the state of the art, outlining recent developments and major accomplishments that have been achieved and that need to occur to move the field forward. Authors are encouraged to identify the greatest challenges in the sub-disciplines, and how to address those challenges. In addition, we are looking for original articles that describe or apply novel developments and technologies that will move the field forward, as long as they are within the scope of the Research Topic and the mission statement of the Cardiovascular and Smooth Muscle Pharmacology section.The following topics are of particular interest:- Understanding pathomechanisms in a specific cardiovascular disease (e.g., in alcoholic cardiomyopathy)- Insights into the interaction of cardiovascular diseases and comorbidities (e.g., sleep-disordered breathing)- Identification of a targetable effector to disrupt pathological signaling- Application or optimization of therapeutic strategies- Insights into effect mechanisms of current cardiovascular medications (e.g., gliflozins)- Cutting-edge pharmacological technologies (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9 including delivery methods)- Next-generation diagnostic tools to monitor disease progression or treatment (e.g., single-cell omics, cell-free DNA or RNA, etc.)