VEGF News and Research

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VEGF is a substance made by cells that stimulates new blood vessel formation. Also called vascular endothelial growth factor.

Blood vessels play an important role in preventing spread of tumour cells

A lack of the protein endoglin in the blood vessels of tumour-bearing mice enables the spread of daughter tumours, according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University in Sweden in a study published in the scientific periodical The Journal of Experimental Medicine. Given that the tumour vasculature constitutes an important barrier to the spread of cancer cells, the team suggests that drugs should be developed to strengthen the blood vessels' protective function.

12 Feb 2013

Positive results from NCI-sponsored bevacizumab trial on cervical cancer

Patients with advanced, recurrent, or persistent cervical cancer that was not curable with standard treatment who received the drug bevacizumab (Avastin) lived 3.7 months longer than patients who did not receive the drug, according to an interim analysis of a large, randomized clinical trial.

10 Feb 2013

Intravitreal ranibizumab shows little benefit after hemorrhage

Ranibizumab given intravitreally offers no clear benefit in the treatment of vitreous hemorrhage due to proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a randomized clinical trial indicates.

8 Feb 2013

Acceleron commences dalantercept phase 2 study in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Acceleron Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing protein therapeutics for cancer and orphan diseases, announced the initiation of a phase 2 study of dalantercept, a novel angiogenesis inhibitor that targets the activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1) pathway.

5 Feb 2013

Stem cells from bone marrow or fat improve recovery after stroke in rats

Stem cells from bone marrow or fat improve recovery after stroke in rats, finds a study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy. Treatment with stem cells improved the amount of brain and nerve repair and the ability of the animals to complete behavioural tasks.

29 Jan 2013

Results from Amgen’s Neulasta plus bevacizumab Phase 3 trial on colorectal cancer

Amgen announced today results from Pegfilgrastim and Anti-VEGF Evaluation Study (PAVES), a Phase 3 trial which evaluated Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) in 845 patients receiving FOLFOX or FOLFIRI and bevacizumab for the first-line treatment of locally-advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer.

28 Jan 2013

Genentech receives FDA approval for new use of Avastin plus chemotherapy to treat mCRC

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new use of Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with fluoropyrimidine-based irinotecan or oxaliplatin chemotherapy for people with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

23 Jan 2013

FDA approves Ampio’s IND for Optina for treatment of diabetic macular edema

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the FDA has accepted the Company's IND for Optina™ for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Ampio plans to commence enrollment in a clinical trial in the first quarter of 2013. The FDA granted Optina™ 505(b)(2) status in July, 2012. Drugs designated under this pathway can be approved on a single trial.

22 Jan 2013

ELTD1 biomarker may help diagnose glioma

Researchers using sophisticated genetic testing techniques have identified a promising new biomarker for diagnosis of glioma—the most common type of malignant brain tumor, reports the January issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

17 Jan 2013

Eyes also need light to develop normally during pregnancy

New research in Nature concludes the eye – which depends on light to see – also needs light to develop normally during pregnancy.

17 Jan 2013

Scientists discover process by which mda-9/syntenin contributes to melanoma metastasis

After recently announcing success in eliminating melanoma metastasis in laboratory experiments, scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have made another important discovery in understanding the process by which the gene mda-9/syntenin contributes to metastasis in melanoma (the spread of skin cancer) and possibly a variety of other cancers.

4 Jan 2013

$Bayer, Onyx announce data from Nexavar Phase 3 trial on RAI-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer$

Bayer, Onyx announce data from Nexavar Phase 3 trial on RAI-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that a Phase 3 trial of Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets in patients with locally advanced or metastatic radioactive iodine-refractory (RAI) differentiated thyroid cancer has met its primary endpoint of a statistically significant improvement of progression-free survival.

3 Jan 2013

Scientists decode VEGF/Ang1/Syx pathway that regulates leakiness of blood vessels

A research team led by scientists at Mayo Clinic in Florida have decoded the entire pathway that regulates leakiness of blood vessels — a condition that promotes a wide number of disorders, such as heart disease, cancer growth and spread, inflammation and respiratory distress.

18 Dec 2012

Cytokine rise signals RCC progression

Progression of renal cell carcinoma is frequently preceded by a rise in levels of proangiogenic cytokines, Italian researchers have found.

17 Dec 2012

Bayer submits MAA in Europe for EYLEA to treat macular edema after CRVO

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bayer HealthCare today announced that Bayer HealthCare has submitted an application for marketing authorization in Europe for EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection for the treatment of macular edema following Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO).

6 Dec 2012

Innovative stem cell technique for heart tissue revealed

Researchers have found that stem cell cultures infused with growth factors could be used to repair damaged heart tissue without the threat of patient rejection.

3 Dec 2012

Topical simvastatin may be answer to nonhealing diabetic wounds

Topical simvastatin significantly accelerates wound healing in mice and may be a good treatment option for diabetic patients with nonhealing wounds, say researchers.

30 Nov 2012

Topically applied simvastatin enhances wound recovery in diabetic mice

Delayed wound healing is a major complication of diabetes because the physiological changes in tissues and cells impair the wound healing process. This can result in additional disease outcomes such as diabetic foot ulcer, a significant cause of morbidity in the growing population of diabetic patients. A new study has found that topically applied simvastatin accelerates wound healing in diabetic mice, suggesting important implications for humans with diabetes.

28 Nov 2012

EC approves Regeneron’s EYLEA for treatment of wet AMD

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of patients with neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

27 Nov 2012

Coronary arteries largely arise from cells of the endocardium

During embryonic development, the all-important coronary arteries arise from cells previously considered incapable of producing them, according to scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

22 Nov 2012