PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS FOR VASCULAR DISEASE THERAPY

Abstract

Vascular regeneration for ischemic disease represents an unmet clinical need. The ability to derive and expand homogenous populations of human vascular endothelial cells from either human embryonic stem (hES) cells or human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells creates an opportunity to develop novel treatments for patients with peripheral and myocardial ischemic conditions. The review focuses on pluripotent stem cells and their capacity to differentiate vascular endothelial cells.