Endothelial progenitor cell biology in disease and tissue regeneration. J of Clin Oncol 2011

Journal of Hematology & Oncology 2011, 4:24 doi:10.1186/1756-8722-4-24
Andrea L George (andrea_george@nymc.edu)
Pradeep Bangalore-Prakash (prads_bp@yahoo.co.in)
Shilpi Rajoria (shilpi_rajoria@nymc.edu)
Robert Suriano (robert_suriano@nymc.edu)
Arulkumaran Shanmugam (arul_shanmugam@nymc.edu)
Abraham Mittelman (mittens4@aol.com)
Raj K Tiwari (raj_tiwari@nymc.edu)
Abstract
Endothelial progenitor cells are increasingly being studied in various diseases
ranging from ischemia, diabetic retinopathy, and in cancer. The discovery that these
cells can be mobilized from their bone marrow niche to sites of inflammation and
tumor to induce neovasculogenesis has afforded a novel opportunity to understand the
tissue microenvironment and specific cell-cell interactive pathways. This review
provides a comprehensive up-to-date understanding of the physiological function and
therapeutic utility of these cells. The emphasis is on the systemic factors that
modulate their differentiation/mobilization and survival and presents the challenges of
its potential therapeutic clinical utility as a diagnostic and prognostic reagent.