In the early 1980s, scientists at Children's identified and purified bFGF the first of many potent angiogenesis inducers. Subsequently, other angiogenic proteins such as VEFG which stimulate the formation of new blood vessels, were discovered by investigators. It was not surprising that before long researchers in the field of cardiology had envisioned the therapeutic potential of such compounds stimulating the growth of arterial vessels.

When an artery becomes significantly obstructed due to atherosclerosis, a condition in which a fatty substance called plaque builds up on the vessel wall, the body normally responds by developing collateral vessels that help to compensate for the reduced blood flow. Researchers at institutions in Germany and the US demonstrated in animal models that administering angiogenesis inducers stimulated the development of additional collateral vessels and improved blood flow to the heart. More recently, this strategy has been used with some success in patients with significantly blocked coronary vessels, providing a possible alternative to opening the clogged artery with balloon angioplasty and stents or with bypass surgery.

Another approach to angiogenesis is based on inhibiting, rather than stimulating angiogenesis, as reported by Karen Moulton, M.D., in the Folkman Lab. Earlier research had determined that plaques, like tumors, require the nourishment provided by new blood vessels in order to grow to a size that can cause a problem. Her studies in mice have determined that two antiogenesis inhibitors discovered at Children's TNP-470 and endostatin reduced the growth of arterial plaque significantly. Current work is directed at identifying the factors are responsible for the formation of new vessels into the plaque. The use of angiogenesis inhibitors to cut off the blood supply to the plaques may someday provide a novel way to prevent atherosclerosis and its complications, heart attack, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.