VEGF Induces Differentiation of Functional Endothelium From Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Abstract

VEGF induces functional endothelial cells from hESCs independent of endothelial cell proliferation. This enrichment method increases endothelial cell yield, enabling applications for revascularization as well as basic studies of human endothelial biology. We demonstrate the ability of hESC-derived endothelial cells to facilitate vascularization of tissue-engineered implants.