Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a system and methods for minimizing risk factors that contribute to the development of vascular graft disease and vascular graft failure. In one embodiment, a microarray-based gene expression analysis may be employed to select pre-implanted vessel candidates suitable as grafts in various vascular transplantation procedures. By using a microarray that includes a set of probe sequences that statistically correlate with vascular graft disease, mRNA expression levels of vascular-graft-disease-related genes within vessel-graft candidates can be determined to produce an expression profile for each vessel tested. Such molecular profile of genes related to various forms of vascular graft disease enables clinicians to select a vessel graft having the lowest probability of developing vascular graft diseases, and having the highest probability of maintaining adequate patency rate. Various types of arteries and veins may be discriminated from one another based on their respective gene expression profiles.