Approximately 16 million patients worldwide (1 in 20 people over the age of 50) suffer from peripheral arterial disease(PAD). PAD is characterized by narrowing or occlusion of vessels supplying blood to the lower limbs, most often due to atherosclerosis. Symptoms of PAD include claudication that may progress to critical limb ischemia manifested by rest pain, tissue loss and gangrene, which eventually may necessitate amputation.