The Need for Translational Research to Advance Peripheral Artery Disease Management

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a broad term encompassing a range of atherosclerotic and aneurysmal conditions of the extra-coronary arteries [1]. PAD is estimated to affect up to 15% of the population aged over 65 years, and is predicted to become increasingly common in parallel with an ageing population [2]. Indeed, recent data suggest that global abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) related mortality increased by ~10% between 1990 and 2010 [3]. Similarly, the worldwide prevalence of lower limb atherothrombosis increased by ~20% in the 10 years between 2000 and 2010 [4]. There are significant shortfalls in current PAD management, including a need for better ways to diagnose PAD early and a requirement for new treatment options. PAD is recognized to present a cardiovascular risk equivalent to coronary heart disease, although risk factor management appears to be less intensive in PAD patients, possibly due to a primary treatment focus on the presenting complaint [5–9]. Thus, there is a clear need to improve PAD patient care through directed research. We are delighted to present a Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences [10] which includes 11 articles focused on PAD. Collectively these articles cover aspects of AAA and lower limb atherothrombosis and discuss findings of current research using human tissues and animal models. We are extremely grateful to all contributing authors and peer-reviewers for their excellent work and support in making this Special Issue possible. Addressing the shortfalls in PAD management remains problematic due to our incomplete understanding of disease pathophysiology. Limited access to arterial biopsies from patients and suitable controls presents a significant hurdle to PAD research [11]. This has in part been addressed through the development of rodent models for PAD which have been widely employed in the literature, although OPEN ACCESS