In the last 15 years the French Committee for the coordination of Research on Atherosclerosis and cholesterol ("Comité de Coordination de la Recherche sur le Cholestérol et l'Athérosclérose": ARCOL ) and the French Atherosclerosis Society ("Société Française d'Athérosclérose": SFA ) largely contributed to the research efforts in France , about lipids, arterial wall, thrombosis and cardiovascular risk factors.

These multidisciplinary societies have distributed multiple grants to young researchers and clinicians. They coordinate the development of the Clinico-Biological Centres for Lipids in France ("Centres Clinico-Biologiques des Lipides": CCBL), published several reference books ("L'Athérosclérose", "Nutrition Humaine" ), organized many national and international conferences (IAS, Paris 1997), supported prevention campaigns and created their website (http://www.nsfa.asso.fr, administrateur@nsfa.asso.fr) as a large and open source of information.

They have decided to unite their forces in the New French Atheroslerosis Society ("Nouvelle Société Française d'Athérosclérose": NSFA ) in order to better participate to the following missions: research funding and valorization, recommendation and book editing, care improvement, people information and education.

By our complementary competencies, this merged society will create a new momentum exemplified by our recent congress: jointly organized by both societies, with a large theme diversity (plaque imaging, cardiovascular prevention, dyslipidemia in transgenic animals, genetics and inflammation), this congress baptized the New French Arteriosclerosis Society, with a larger visibility in and out of France.