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.

Skin, immune system play an important role in regulating sodium balance and hypertension

High blood pressure is responsible for many cardiovascular diseases that are the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. High salt intake has long been considered a risk factor, but not every type of high blood pressure is associated with high salt intake. This has puzzled scientists for a long time. However, new findings by Professor Jens Titze (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA and the University of Erlangen) now point to previously unknown mechanisms.

10 Sep 2012

EC grants marketing authorization for Pfizer’s INLYTA to treat renal cell carcinoma

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for INLYTA (axitinib) for the treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), a type of kidney cancer, after failure of prior treatment with sunitinib or a cytokine.

4 Sep 2012

Potential new COPD drug

A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has shown that a compound used in some skin creams may halt the progression of emphysema and reverse some of the damage caused by the disease. When the compound Gly-His-Lys (GHK) was applied to lung cells from patients with emphysema, normal gene activity in altered cells was restored and damaged aspects of cellular function were repaired.

1 Sep 2012

Disruption of circadian rhythm can inhibit blood vessel growth in the body

Disruptions to the circadian rhythm can affect the growth of blood vessels in the body, thus causing illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer, according to a new study from Linköping University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

28 Aug 2012

Vision symptoms plus retinal changes trigger need for AMD intervention

An analysis of over 1000 individuals presenting with suspected exudative age-related macular degeneration has revealed which factors are most predictive of the need for treatment.

22 Aug 2012

Molecular Partners, Allergan to develop and commercialize DARPins against ophthalmic diseases

Allergan, Inc. and Molecular Partners AG today announced that they have significantly expanded their existing relationship by entering into two separate agreements to discover, develop, and commercialize proprietary therapeutic DARPin products for the treatment of serious ophthalmic diseases.

21 Aug 2012

Peptide combinations might offer more effective cancer therapy

Two studies suggest that two peptide agents used either together or individually with a low-dose of a standard chemotherapy drug might offer more effective cancer therapy than current standard single-drug treatments.

17 Aug 2012

Ingredient for butter flavor in microwave popcorn is a respiratory hazard

The ingredient 2,3-pentanedione (PD), used to impart the flavor and aroma of butter in microwave popcorn, is a respiratory hazard that can also alter gene expression in the brain of rats. Manufacturers started using PD when another butter flavoring, diacetyl, was found to cause bronchiolitis obliterans, a life-threatening and nonreversible lung disease in workers who inhaled the substance.

13 Aug 2012

Combination therapy does not change safety and efficacy relationship of TORISEL for advanced RCC

Pfizer Inc. announced that the Phase 3 INTORACT trial (B1771006), evaluating the combination of bevacizumab plus TORISEL (temsirolimus) compared with bevacizumab plus interferon-alfa-2a (IFN-α-2a) in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) across risk groups, did not meet its primary endpoint of superiority in extending progression free survival (PFS) in the study population.

12 Aug 2012

Genentech receives FDA approval for Lucentis to treat diabetic macular edema

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME), an eye condition in people with diabetes that causes blurred vision, severe vision loss and sometimes blindness

12 Aug 2012

Nanofibers and VEGF hold promise for cardiovascular repair

A National Cheng Kung University research team has made a breakthrough in the regeneration of new blood vessels in cardiovascular therapy by using nanofibers and vascular endothelial growth factor.

10 Aug 2012

VEGF inhibitor fails to improve nonsquamous NSCLC overall survival

Adding motesanib to carboplatin–paclitaxel does not boost overall survival in patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer, including those with adenocarcinoma, say MONET1 investigators.

8 Aug 2012

Breast cancer drug bevacizumab (Avastin): an interview with Dr Anna Dorothea Wagner

Breast cancer is the most important cancer for women in the developed world. About 20% of all patients diagnosed with breast cancer die of metastatic disease.

1 Aug 2012

Dosimetry data from SalutarisMD episcleral brachytherapy device clinical study on wet AMD

At the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Annual Meeting yesterday, Russell J. Hamilton, PhD, Professor and Physics Section Head, University of Arizona Department of Radiation Oncology, reviewed dosimetry data for a minimally invasive episcleral brachytherapy device developed by Salutaris Medical Devices, Inc. (SalutarisMD) to treat Wet AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness.

30 Jul 2012

FDA accepts Exelixis’ cabozantinib NDA for filing

Exelixis, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for filing the New Drug Application (NDA) for cabozantinib as a treatment for patients with progressive, unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).

30 Jul 2012

New compound effective at blocking damage to the retina in diabetic retinopathy

Researchers at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center have identified a compound that could interrupt the chain of events that cause damage to the retina in diabetic retinopathy. The finding is significant because it could lead to a novel therapy that targets two mechanisms at the root of the disease: inflammation and the weakening of the blood barrier that protects the retina.

30 Jul 2012

Hypoxic lung environment increases HIF-2a tumor growth signaling

In addition to the well-known risk factor of smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increases lung cancer risk.

25 Jul 2012

VEGF inhibitor fails to improve nonsquamous NSCLC overall survival

24 Jul 2012

Nottingham researchers to lead Avastin clinical study for AMD

Nottingham researchers are leading a study to test the effectiveness of a controversial drug in the treatment of a common loss of vision.

12 Jul 2012

Breast cancer drug bevacizumab slows progression but has no overall survival benefit

The cancer drug bevacizumab (Avastin®) offers only a modest benefit in prolonging disease progression in patients with advanced stage breast cancer, according to a systematic review by Cochrane researchers. The researchers assessed the efficacy of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy, an established cancer treatment in this indication, and found no overall survival benefit when adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy.

11 Jul 2012