Genetic determinants of restenosis: a path less travelled

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent placement is a standard treatment for coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite the use of drug eluting stents (DESs), restenosis remains a challenging clinical problem. Restenosis is the maladaptive response of the coronary artery to injury. Oxidative stress, inflammation and neointimal hyperplasia have been implicated in the process of restenosis. However, the molecular and biochemical pathways of restenotic process are not fully understood yet. Furthermore, as restenosis is assumed to be a multigenetic process and genetic predisposition is considered an important risk factor, analysis of the genome-wide gene expression is recommended for better insight of the phenomenon along with comparison among different study groups.