Perspectives: MRI of angiogenesis

Vascular permeability is one of the hallmarks of angiogenesis. Enhanced permeability of the vessels, detected using albumin binding contrast media, enabled early detection of mouse glioma tumors (Reproduced from Magn. Reson. Med. [1]). [Display omitted] •Vascular permeability varies between organs and is breached during angiogenesis.•Vessel density and permeability changes are regulated by microenvironmental stress.•MRI provides structural, functional and molecular phenotyping of the vascular bed. Angiogenesis, the expansion of the vascular bed, is an important component in remodeling of tissues and organs. Such remodeling is essential for coping with substantial and sustained increase in the demands for supply of oxygen and nutrients and the timely removal of waste products. The vasculature, and its effectiveness in systemic delivery to all parts of the body, regulates the distribution of immune cells and the delivery of therapeutics as well as the dissemination of disease. Therefore, the vascular bed is possibly one of the key organs involved in homeostasis, in health and disease. The critical role of the vasculature in health, and the accessibility to non invasive probing by MRI, renders MRI as a modality of choice for monitoring the vasculature and its adaption to challenges.