Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, but there is currently no effective method to regenerate new coronary arteries in a sick or injured heart. This may be due to our limited understanding of coronary artery progenitor cells and the signaling pathways that activate their differentiation. Coronary arteries are vessels that supply blood to the ventricular myocardium and consist of an endothelial cell lining wrapped by a smooth muscle covering. Coronary artery smooth muscle cells are particularly important due to their role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. They provide an excellent model system for studying various aspects of cardiovascular function and disease, especially those related to the hyperplasia and hypertrophy of intimal smooth muscle cells leading to vascular occlusion in atherosclerosis and stent restenosis.

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