ReviewPost screenIn vitro models for assessing therapeutic angiogenesis

- Therapeutic angiogenesis aims at stimulating new blood vessel formation.
- In vitro models for assessing the angiogenic potential of a product are revised.
- Practical examples of potential angiogenic products applied in these in vitro models are described.
- 3D angiogenesis models better represent the in vivo process of neovascularization.

Arterial obstruction leading to ischemia causes a reduction of oxygen and nutrient supply to distal tissues. The physiological response to tissue ischemia triggers a cascade of events that results in the development of accessory vasculature to increase local tissue perfusion and to salvage tissue. However, this adaptive mechanism of repair is suboptimal in some patients. Therapeutic angiogenesis aims to stimulate new blood vessel formation via the local administration of proangiogenic agents or cell therapy products (CTPs). In this review, we provide a summary of the current understanding of in vitro models for assessing the angiogenic potential of a product.