FGF-1 grows new blood vessels in injured hearts
Angiogenesis may someday replace or at least supplement angioplasty and bypass surgery for patients with clogged arteries. German doctors have caused hearts to grow tiny new blood vessels by injecting fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1) to the sites of the clogs during bypasses on 20 patients.1 In all cases, four days later, new networks of capillaries began growing, producing a two- to threefold increase increase in flow. The gene therapy has been used in other parts of the body, especially the legs. The investigators caution that FGF-1 has pronounced toxicity and may worsen heart disease or cause tumors.
Reference
1. Schumacher B, Pecher P, vonSpecht BU, et al. Induction of neoangiogenesis in ischemic myocardium by human growth factors. Circulation 1998;97:645-650.
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