As an alternative approach, heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) was found to regulate blood vessel formation and angiogenesis induced by VEGF and stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) [128, 129], and such effects in addition to other aspects of HO-1 signaling (see “Disrupted signaling in satellite cells”) underlie the rationale for the therapeutic modulation of HO-1 levels to ameliorate DMD pathology. The gene discussed is HMOX1; the disease is Duchenne muscular dystrophy.