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UK researcher finds 'switching' compound for angiogenesis
February 03, 2006For the second time in a week Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati, UK HealthCare physician and associate professor and vice chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, announced a discovery from his lab that will affect the future of macular degeneration treatment and research.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a substance that promotes angiogenesis-the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. In macular degeneration, vessels grow through angiogenesis, destroying the cells that are required for vision. Scientists have long believed that turning off the source of VEGF would lead to halting angiogenesis and disease progression.
Ambati's lab found that while withdrawing VEGF could halt angiogenesis in some areas, it actually encouraged it in others. Upon further investigation Ambati found that this previously undiscovered anti-angiogenic effect of VEGF was mediated via activating VEGFR-1 (VEGF receptor 1) and deactivating VEGFR-2 (VEGF receptor 2). Additionally, his lab found that a compound known as SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine) could influence and switch the routing of VEGF away from VEGFR-1. Thus, controlling SPARC levels appears to be key to controlling angiogenesis in macular degeneration.
These surprising findings have far-reaching implications beyond ophthalmology and into all areas of medicine because angiogenesis is also the process by which other growths spread in the body, including malignant tumors. Ambati's work has opened the door into methods of controlling angiogenesis and its effects.
University of Kentucky
These surprising findings have far-reaching implications beyond ophthalmology and into all areas of medicine because angiogenesis is also the process by which other growths spread in the body, including malignant tumors. Ambati's work has opened the door into methods of controlling angiogenesis and its effects.
University of Kentucky
Angiogenesis News and Current Angiogenesis Events RSSAngiotensin inhibitors and receptor blockers linked to lower risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer
The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) was associated with a reduced risk of basal cell or squamous cell skin cancers in U.S. veterans, researchers report in the August 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Normalizing tumor vessels to improve cancer therapy
Chemotherapy drugs often never reach the tumors they're intended to treat, and radiation therapy is not always effective, because the blood vessels feeding the tumors are abnormal-"leaky and twisty" in the words of the late Judah Folkman, MD, founder of the Vascular Biology program at Children's Hospital Boston.
Cancer therapy: A role for MAPK inhibitors combined with mTORC1 inhibitors
Nearly a decade ago, while it was being tested as an immunosuppressive agent to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients, the drug rapamycin was also discovered to have anti-tumor properties. Since then, several rapamycin analogs known as mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) inhibitors have been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of various types of cancer.
Drugs to inhibit blood vessel growth show promise in rat model of deadly brain tumor
In a landmark study, Medical College of Wisconsin researchers in Milwaukee report that drugs used to inhibit a specific fatty acid in rat brains with glioblastoma-like tumors not only reduced new blood vessel growth and tumor size dramatically, but also prolonged survival. The study is the featured cover story of the August, 2008 Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism.
Gladstone scientists identify single microRNA that controls blood vessel development
Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and UCSF have identified a key regulatory factor that controls development of the human vascular system, the extensive network of arteries, veins, and capillaries that allow blood to reach all tissues and organs.
Vitamin A pushes breast cancer to form blood vessel cells
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered that vitamin A, when applied to breast cancer cells, turns on genes that can push stem cells embedded in a tumor to morph into endothelial cells. These cells can then build blood vessels to link up to the body's blood supply, promoting further tumor growth.
New oral angiogenesis inhibitor offers potential nontoxic therapy for a wide range of cancers
The first oral, broad-spectrum angiogenesis inhibitor, specially formulated through nanotechnology, shows promising anticancer results in mice, report researchers from Children's Hospital Boston.
Experimental anti-cancer synthetic molecule targets tumor cell growth and angiogenesis
A recent study conducted by three French CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) laboratories describes a new candidate anti-cancer drug, named HB-19.
Complex Changes in the Brain's Vascular System Occur after Menopause
Many women experience menopausal changes in their body including hot flashes, moodiness and fatigue, but the changes they don't notice can be more dangerous.
Fruits, vegetables and teas may protect smokers from lung cancer, UCLA researchers report
Tobacco smokers who eat three servings of fruits and vegetables per day and drink green or black tea may be protecting themselves from lung cancer, according to a first-of-its-kind study by UCLA cancer researchers.
More Angiogenesis News Articles
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 | Angiogenesis in Health and Disease: Basic Mechanisms and Clinical Applications by Gabor Rubanyi Outlines strategies for stimulating capillary formation in hypoxia and ischemia and inhibiting it in cancer, diabetes, and chronic inflammation. This state-of-the-science reference highlights recent progress in the ways to promote formation of new blood vessels in ischemic/hypoxic tissue and the means to stifle capillary growth and development in solid tumors, diabetic retinopathy, and chronic... |
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