Regenerative medicine in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease.

The last decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in the mechanistic understanding of angiogenesis and arteriogenesis, the two processes by which the body responds to obstruction of large conduit arteries. This knowledge has been translated into novel therapeutic approaches to the treatment of peripheral arterial disease, a condition characterized by progressive narrowing of lower extremity arteries and heretofore solely amenable to surgical revascularization. Clinical trials of molecular, genetic, and cell-based treatments for peripheral artery obstruction have generally provided encouraging results. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.