Whether genes or proteins are used, the goal is the same, to blanket the heart with lots of little blood vessels. But that presents another problem. The blood vessels are so small that they are impossible to see even with today's highest-resolution heart scans. As a result, there is still no objective evidence that angiogenesis therapy improves blood flow to the heart. Yet all other signs indicate that something good is happening.
Patients experience much less chest pain, or angina, and can run much longer on a treadmill.
Researchers are confident, however, that improvements in imaging technology will soon allow them to detect the presence of the new blood vessels that they believe are there. Until then, angiogenesis therapy seems to be giving another chance to a growing number of patients who thought they had run out of options. And as anyone with heart disease can tell you, sometimes that's all you need.