IL1B and atherosclerosis: IL-1β plays multiple roles in the atherosclerotic process, including promoting adhesion of immune cells to vascular endothelial cells, promoting proliferation of VSMCs, and inducing procoagulant activity (216). A large-scale, double blind, randomized clinical trial, the Canakinumab Anti-Inflammatory Thrombosis Outcome Study (CANTOS), has confirmed for the first time the inflammatory hypothesis of atherosclerosis (217).