Therefore, two weeks after recovery from MI, animals were subjected to intra-pericardial delivery of SDF-1α-releasing microspheres, and quantification of endogenous porcine SDF-1α and exogenous (released from the microspheres) levels of SDF-1α were performed at appropriate post-infarction time points. The gene discussed is CXCL12; the disease is myocardial infarction.