Seminar - Single-cell transcriptomic endothelial cell signatures of healthy and pathological vessels

Differentiating pathological from physiological angiogenesis is crucial to specifically target abnormal vessel growth associated with proliferative diseases and fostering physiological regenerative angiogenesis. This degree of selectivity is currently out of reach from anti-angiogenic therapies, requiring a better understanding of the cell-specific identities of healthy and diseased vessels. Here, we take advantage of the unparalleled resolution provided by single-cell technologies to investigate the heterogeneity of endothelial cells and their microenvironment in a mouse model of retinal pathological angiogenesis. We identified specific subtypes of endothelial cells associated with healthy revascularization, and notably a rare cluster of proliferative endothelial cells present in pathological tissues.