ABSTRACT

Researchers seeking new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cardiovascular disease have turned their attention to the genetic basis of both normal and pathologic cardiovascular growth and function (Berg and Singer, 1995; Dzau et al., 1993). Various molecular and biochemical pathways are known to play critical roles in the control of cell cycle progression and cell division, and these pathways can be influenced by the expression of certain genes. Control of cell growth is, in turn, an important determinant in the natural history of proliferative disorders of the cardiovascular system, such as the phenomenon of restenosis after balloon angioplasty. It has therefore become possible to identify genes that are important in disease progression, and to target the expression of these genes for modification in an attempt to alter cardiovascular pathobiology.