Vascular Development, Repair, and Aging Workshop

A virtual event
February 16 - 18, 2026
Feb. 16th & 17th | 12:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET
Feb 18th | 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET

About the meeting Registration Abstract Submission Speakers Program

About the meeting

Organized by
Irena Levitan, University of Illinois, Chicago
Saulius Sumanas, University of South Florida
Youyang Zhao, Northwestern University

The vascular system is fundamental to the health and function of every tissue. Understanding how blood vessels develop, change with aging, and respond to injury is essential for advancing our knowledge of vascular diseases and developing new therapeutic strategies. This workshop will trace the evolution of our understanding of vascular development, aging, and repair, highlighting landmark discoveries, pivotal experimental approaches, and emerging therapeutic strategies that have shaped the field from its origins to the present day. The program will emphasize how fundamental discoveries in vascular biology can be translated into new approaches to prevent, treat, or reverse diseases caused by vascular dysfunction.

Registration

Registration Rates

	By January 7	After January 7
NAVBO Regular/Emeritus Members*	$125	$175
NAVBO Trainee Members*	$75	$100
NAVBO Undergraduate Members*	$25	$40
Non-Members	$250	$300

*Not a NAVBO member? Join to save $$$! Please note, membership applications may take up to 2 business days to process.

A link to all of the sessions will be provided to all registrants within three days of the start of the meeting. Unlike our other online presentations, you will not receive a link immediately upon registration.

Registration includes access to the recordings for one month (through March 18). A link to the recordings will be provided to registrants on February 19.

Abstract Submission

Now accepting abstracts!

Click here to submit your abstract.

Please note that the virtual event will be recorded and available to registrants for 30 days after the meeting through a private channel.

We are accepting abstracts in these three categories -
Development
Repair
Aging

Abstract deadline: November 16, 2026.
Please note, you cannot reenter the form, so please be ready to complete the submission.

Instructions:

Complete the contact information of the submitting and enter the name of the presenting author. Re-enter your name if you are submitting and presenting.

Enter the title of your abstract: The title of your abstract cannot exceed 250 characters (including spaces and punctuation). Titles should be in sentence format - First letter of the first word of the abstract should be uppercase, all other words, unless an acronym or proper noun, should be lowercase.

Upload your abstract: Create your abstract in Word and upload the file to the submission form. Please conform to the requested format for title, authors and text.
Title - bold, Arial 12pt
Authors and their affiliations - italics, Arial 10pt; underline the presenting author
Text - normal, Arial 11pt - limit of 1,750 characters (includes spaces and punctuation)

Provide Additional Presenter Information: Complete the rest of the questionnaire with the presenting author's information.
If the presenting author is a trainee, please provide the email address of their PI.

Speakers

Speakers:

Hellmut Augustin, Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center
Victoria Bautch, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ondine Cleaver, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
John Cooke, Houston Methodist Research Institute
Paul Evans, Queen Mary University of London
Yun Fang, University of Chicago
Luisa Iruela-Arispe, Northwestern University
Irena Levitan, University of Illinois Chicago
Taija Mäkinen, University of Helsinki and Wihuri Research Institute
Dolly Mehta, University of Illinois Chicago
Juan Melero-Martin, Boston Children's Hospital
Shahin Rafii, Weill Cornell Medicine
Roshanak Rahimian, University of the Pacific
Lakshmi Santhanam, Johns Hopkins University SOM
Didier Stainier, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research
Ellie Tzima, University of Oxford
Youyang Zhao, Northwestern Univ-Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Program

Day 1: February 16, 2027, Development
12:00 - 2:00pm	Vascular and Lymphatic Specification and Morphogenesis The making and maintenance of lymphatic vessels Taija Mäkinen, Uppsala UniversityEndothelial cell specification and differentiation Didier Stainier, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research Building blood vessels: in the embryo and the dish Ondine Cleaver, UT Southwestern Medical Center 2 short talks chosen from abstracts
2:00 - 2:30pm	Break
2:30 - 4:30pm	Angiogenesis and Vascular Heterogeneity Vascular control of organ function Hellmut Augustin, Heidelberg University and German Cancer Research Center A Voyage of Discovery: Vascular Development and Patterning Victoria Bautch, UNC Chapel Hill 4 short talks chosen from abstracts
Day 2: February 17, 2027, Repair
12:00 - 2:00pm	Vascular Repair I Endothelial regeneration and vascular repair Youyang Zhao, Northwestern University Vascular organoids for therapeutic vascularization Juan Melero-Martin, Boston Children’s Hospital Engineering tissue-specific endothelial cells for vascular repair and regeneration Shahin Raffii, Weill Cornell Medicine 2 short talks chosen from abstracts
2:00 - 2:30pm	Break
2:30 - 4:30pm	Vascular Repair II Endothelial regeneration and repair of the endothelial lining Luisa Iruela Arispe, Northwestern UniversityS1PR1 compartmentalization in the endothelium as the driver of vascular repair Dolly Mehta, University of Illinois at Chicago DNA damage repair for vascular regeneration John Cooke, Houston Methodist Research Institute 2 short talks chosen from abstracts
Day 3: February 18, 2027, Vascular Aging
11:00 - 11:30am	Mentored Undergraduate Talks Faculty mentor Presentation Aya Makino, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology 4 undergraduate presentations from program
12:00 - 2:00pm	Vascular Aging I Shear stress control of endothelial biology in atherosclerosis Paul Evans, Imperial College London TBD Ellie Tzima, University of Oxford Arterial aging mechanisms in females - the double hit of menopause and chronologic aging Lakshmi Santhanam, Johns Hopkins University 2 short talks chosen from abstracts
2:00 - 2:30pm	Break
2:30 - 4:30pm	Vascular Aging II RNA Biology and RNA Nanomedicine in Vascular Resilience Yun Fang, University of ChicagoEndothelial stiffening in vascular aging: roles of lipids Irena Levitan, University of Illinois Chicago Hormonal Context and Vascular Function: Implications for Male Vascular Aging Roshanak Rahimian, University of the Pacific 2 short talks chosen from abstracts

Abstract deadline:
November 16, 2026!

Submit Abstract

Register by January 7th

to save $$!

Vascular Development, Repair, and Aging Workshop

A virtual event February 16 - 18, 2026 Feb. 16th & 17th | 12:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET Feb 18th | 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET

Organized by Irena Levitan, University of Illinois, Chicago Saulius Sumanas, University of South Florida Youyang Zhao, Northwestern University

Promoting the Study of Vascular Biology

A virtual event
February 16 - 18, 2026
Feb. 16th & 17th | 12:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET
Feb 18th | 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET

Organized by
Irena Levitan, University of Illinois, Chicago
Saulius Sumanas, University of South Florida
Youyang Zhao, Northwestern University