Biointerventional cardiology: the future interface of interventional cardiovascular medicine and bioengineering.

Major advances in cardiovascular intervention for chronic disease are underway. These innovations lie at the interface of minimally invasive catheter-based technologies and biologic approaches for the management of complex cardiovascular diseases. This review highlights key areas where such 'biointerventional' cardiovascular therapies are envisioned to occur: cardiac cell transplantation, myocardial gene therapy, genetic and photodynamic endovascular interventions, and vascular tissue engineering.