Nature Research, Nature Medicine, 6(15), p. 608-610, 2009
DOI: 10.1038/nm0609-608
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Blood vessels arise from progenitor cells, grow and branch by sprouting from preexisting vessels and remodel by splitting longitudinally. A new study proposes an additional mechanism. It seems that vascularization can proceed through the mechanical translocation and expansion of existing vessels, which loop into vascularising tissue (pages 657–664).