CXCR4 and atherosclerosis: The overexpression of the vascular CXCR4 protein might, thus, indicate either enhanced infiltration of immune cells or healing of injured/inflamed vasculature, so that in vivo quantification of CXCR4 might be used as a transient inflammation biomarker for the molecular imaging of atherosclerosis, which could provide real-time information about on-site inflammatory activity.