Bell EJ, et al. - The association of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) with risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and atherosclerosis has been previously reported. Researchers tested their hypothesis that higher circulating HGF is associated with greater progression of measures of atherosclerosis ie, coronary artery calcium (CAC) and carotid plaque in participants aged 45–84 years from the prospective cohort study Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Higher levels of HGF were shown to be significantly related to greater progression of atherosclerosis. Circulating HGF continues to show promise as a potential clinical biomarker for cardiovascular disease.