A little VEGF goes a long way. Therapeutic angiogenesis by direct injection of vascular endothelial growth factor-encoding plasmid DNA.

Nevertheless, the simplicity of using injections of naked plasmid DNA into skeletal muscle tissue as an effective means to deliver a potent, secreted angiogenesis factor into ischemic peripheral vascular beds is both an exciting and encouraging finding. It is estimated that 150,000 patients per year require lower-limb amputations for ischemic peripheral vascular disease in the United States. The impressive progress being made toward the use of VEGF gene therapy for effective therapeutic angiogenesis in ischemic peripheral vascular disease is truly welcome news for clinicians faced with the task of providing care for those patients suffering from lower-limb vascular insufficiency.