Angiogenesis: state of the art

Considerable progress has been made recently in understanding the molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels by a process of sprouting from preexisting vessels. Angiogenesis is fundamental to a number of physiological processes, including embryonic development, the normal menstrual cycle, and tissue or organ regeneration in which growth of new capillaries is tightly controlled by a finely tuned balance between positive and negative mediators of endothelial cell growth. When blood vessels grow unabated or out of control, angiogenesis becomes pathologic and plays a key role in the development of many neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. Presently, abundant results from laboratory experiments and clinical trials have greatly improved our understanding of the molecular basis underlying angiogenic events and paved a new way to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases that depend on angiogenesis. This review focuses on the current advances in the regulation and clinical application of angiogenesis.