George Chaldakov

George Nikov Chaldakov (Bulgarian: Георги Ников Чалдъков) born February 23, 1940, in Burgas, Bulgaria, is a Bulgarian vascular biologist well known for his contributions to the study of secretory function of vascular smooth muscle cells, and the role of neurotrophins and perivascular adipose tissue in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. He published the first Bulgarian textbook of Cell Biology in 1996 and in 2005 founded the Bulgarian Society for Cell Biology.
In 1966 Chaldekov graduated as an MD from Varna Institute of Medicine (since 1991, named Medical University of Varna), Varna, Bulgaria. In 1983 he obtained a PhD in Vascular Biology, "Ultrastructural and cytopharmacological study of aging in vascular smooth muscle cells, with special reference to their secretory function". Since 2007, Chaldakov has served as Professor Emeritus at Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria.
For the past 30 years Chaldakov has been involved in interdisciplinary research in the fields of vascular biology, adipobiology, and neurobiology and is one of the pioneers establishing the novel concept of the secretory function/phenotype of the vascular smooth muscle cells and further delineating their role in atherogenesis. Chaldakov developed a complex tripartite model of atherogenesis which involve smooth muscle cells, immune cells, and perivascular adipose tissue communicating through secreted factors (e.g. neurotrophins, adipokines, cytokines).
In 1991, Chaldekov became founder and chief editor of Biomedical Reviews, An International Journal of Cell Biology of Disease. He has also been an organizer of Biomedical Forum, Annual Program of Continuing Medical Education held at Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria.

• Concept of the secretory function/phenotype of the vascular smooth muscle cell, as related to atherogenesis.

• Tubulin/microtubule-targeted pharmacology for atherosclerosis.

• Concept of the neurotrophins NGF and BDNF as metabotrophic factors (metabotrophins) in cardiometabolic biology/diseases.

• Conceptualize the protein secretory products of adipose tissue cells as adipokines, also focusing on perivascular adipose tissue.

• Conceptualize studying adipose tissue-directed pharmacology as adipopharmacology.

• In 2006 introduced the term Homo obesus and is actively involved in popularizing the need of healthy lifestyle and dietary restriction: millions of people suffer and die from starvation in ill-developed and poor countries while in Western world and Europe people get overweight and die as a result of strokes or heart infarctions.

• Chaldakov GN, Nikolov SD (1975). "Ultrastructure of the arterial smooth muscle cell". In Stewart Wolf, Nicholas Theodore Werthessen. Smooth Muscle of the Artery. New York City: Plenum Press. pp. 14–20. ISBN 978-0-306-39057-9. OCLC 1288413. 
• Chaldakov GN, Nikolov SD, Vankov VN (1977). "Fine morphological aspects of the secretory process of arterial smooth muscle cells. II. Role of microtubules". Acta Morphologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. 25 (2–3): 167–174. PMID 615419. 
• Chaldakov GN, Vankov VN (1986). "Morphological aspects of secretion in the arterial smooth muscle cell, with special reference to the Golgi complex and microtubular cytoskeleton". Atherosclerosis. 61 (3): 175–192. doi:10.1016/0021-9150(86)90137-1. PMID 3533092. 
• Chaldakov GN (1982). "Antitubulins - a new therapeutic approach for atherosclerosis?". Atherosclerosis. 44 (3): 385–390. doi:10.1016/0021-9150(82)90013-2. 
• Chaldakov GN, Vankov VN (1986). "Antifibrotic approach in the therapy of arterial occlusive diseases: new considerations". In Gustav Trübestein. Konservative Therapie arterieller Durchblutungsstörungen [Conservative Therapy of Arterial Occlusive Disease]. Stuttgart: Thieme Medical Publishers. pp. 224–226. ISBN 978-3-13-688101-9. OCLC 246829648. 
• Chaldakov GN (1991). "Anti-inflammatory drugs and ischemic heart disease: new considerations (a cell biologist's proposal to cardiologists)". Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 17 (6): 1445–1446. doi:10.1016/S0735-1097(10)80161-5. PMID 2016465. 
• Chaldakov GN, Fiore M, Hristova M, Aloe L (2003). "Metabotrophic potential of neurotrophins: implication in obesity and related diseases?" (PDF). Medical Science Monitor. 9 (10): HY19–21. PMID 14523335. 
• Manni L, Nikolova V, Vyagova D, Chaldakov GN, Aloe L (2005). "Reduced plasma levels of NGF and BDNF in patients with acute coronary syndromes". International Journal of Cardiology. 102 (1): 169–171. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2004.10.041. PMID 15939120. 
• Chaldakov GN; Fiore M; Ghenev PI; Stankulov IS. Aloe L (2000). "Atherosclerotic lesions: possible interactive involvement of intima, adventitia and associated adipose tissue". The International Medical Journal. 7: 43–49. 
• Chaldakov GN, Stankulov IS, Aloe L (2001). "Subepicardial adipose tissue in human coronary atherosclerosis: another neglected phenomenon". Atherosclerosis. 154 (1): 237–238. doi:10.1016/S0021-9150(00)00676-6. PMID 11190652. 
• Chaldakov GN, Stankulov IS, Fiore M, Ghenev PI, Aloe L (2001). "Nerve growth factor levels and mast cell distribution in human coronary atherosclerosis". Atherosclerosis. 159 (1): 57–66. doi:10.1016/S0021-9150(01)00488-9. PMID 11689207. 
• Chaldakov GN, Stankulov IS, Hristova MG, Ghenev PI (2003). "Adipobiology of disease: adipokines and adipokine-targeted pharmacology". Current Pharmaceutical Design. 9 (12): 1023–1031. doi:10.2174/1381612033455152. PMID 12678860. 
• Chaldakov GN, Fiore M, Hristova M, Aloe L (2000). "Cell biology and pharmacology of adipose tissue secretion". FABAD Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 25: 181–191. 
• Chaldakov GN, Fiore M, Tonchev AB, Aloe L (2006). "Adipopharmacology, a novel drug discovery approach: a metabotrophic perspective". Letters in Drug Design & Discovery. 3 (7): 503–505. doi:10.2174/157018006778194835. 
• Chaldakov GN, Fiore M, Tonchev AB, Dimitrov D, Pancheva R, Rancic G, Aloe L (2007). "Homo obesus: a metabotrophin-deficient species. Pharmacology and nutrition insight". Current Pharmaceutical Design. 13 (21): 2176–2179. doi:10.2174/138161207781039616. PMID 17627549. 
• Bethany Klug (2008). "HOMO OBESUS? (cream of broccoli and cashew soup)". The Doctor Cooks. Retrieved 25 February 2012.