Human model for angiogenesis

There is currently intense interest in angiogenesis, the multistep process whereby new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing vasculature, This st ems from the key role angiogenesis plays in many physiological and patholog ical processes including wound healing, development of collateral circulati on following an ischaemic episode, solid tumour growth and diabetic retinop athy, Inhibition of angiogenesis is considered to be one of the most promis ing of the potential, anti-cancer therapies because the ability for a tumou r to grow beyond a few millimetres in size is directly related to its abili ty to induce angiogenesis, So an improved understanding of how this is achi eved and the ability to screen for compounds that could inhibit angiogenesi s may lead to more effective therapies (for a review, see ref, 1), We have thus developed a model of human angiogenesis that involves ail the critical steps of the angiogenic process and can be adapted to screen many compound s.