Endothelial progenitor cells: new hope for a broken heart.

Mr S. is a 62-year-old restaurant owner who has had recurrent stable angina that has not improved despite maximal medical therapy and an earlier coronary bypass. On angiography, Mr S. has diffusely diseased coronary vessels and is no longer considered a candidate for further direct revascularization. An alternative treatment strategy for revascularizing ischemic tissue is therefore required. One potential strategy, therapeutic neovascularization, aims to promote the formation of natural bypasses or collaterals within the ischemic tissue by harvesting the potential of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). This From Bench to Bedside article will explore the current concept of an EPC, the role EPCs play in neovascularization, the strategies used to maximize EPC number and function, the experimental and clinical evidence supporting EPC utility, and the future direction of EPC research.