Biologic alternatives to stents and grafts.

The quest for biologic alternatives to stents and arterial grafts is a source of intense research at the basic and preclinical level. Several new devices and conduits currently under investigation may extend the uses of both stents and grafts beyond their current revascularization role into newer applications in the fields of regional pharmacology and gene therapy. This exciting prospect, although still unrealized, has general medical implications beyond cardiovascular disease. Development of such synergies between device, grafts, pharmacologic, molecular, and tissue engineering research is essential if the burgeoning data on new therapeutic genes is to be harnessed for clinical benefit.