Printing a Tissue

Severe ischemic diseases are often caused by atherosclerotic occlusion of arteries supplying blood to the myocardium or limbs. In such cases, transluminal angioplasty or bypass surgery is the most effective strategy for restoring blood supply in the affected arteries. However, in patients with severe ischemic heart disease or peripheral artery disease who cannot undergo bypass surgery or angioplasty, therapeutic angiogenesis is an effective means of preserving the integrity of tissues.1 Therapeutic angiogenesis is mediated by either injection of angiogenic cytokines, such as vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and hepatocyte growth factor; or implantation of angiogenic cells, including bone marrow mononuclear cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and endothelial progenitor cells.1See accompanying article on page 1300 Several studies have demonstrated successful therapeutic angiogenesis using autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells in patients with critical limb ischemia, such as the Therapeutic Angiogenesis with Cell Transplantation (TACT) trial.2 Although the safety and efficiency …