Molecular imaging of VEGF receptors in angiogenic vasculature with single-chain VEGF-based probes (Nat Med, 2007, 13:504-509)

Molecular imaging of VEGF receptors in angiogenic vasculature

with single-chain VEGF-based probes

Marina V Backer, Zoya Levashova, Vimalkumar Patel, Brian T Jehning, Kevin Claffey, Francis G Blankenberg & Joseph M Backer. Nat Med, 2007, 13:504-509

Speaker: Chuang Chih-Hing (莊智弘)

Commentator: Li-Wha Wu (吳梨華老師)

Date: 2007/10/19 16:00-16:50

Place Room: 602

Abstract:

Angiogenesis is a process of development, growth and new capillary blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. Angiogenesis is also required for tumor growth and metastasis. The development of anticancer therapies that target the angiogenic process is very important in oncology. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) / VEGF receptor (VEGFR) signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in regulating angiogenesis. Many therapeutic agents targeting VEGF and VEGFR are currently in preclinical and clinical development. A method of noninvasively measuring tumor VEGF and VEGFR in vivo could provide important information for VEGF / VEGFR-dependent antiangiogenic cancer therapy and explore the role of VEGF in cancer biology. The authors describe a new generation of protein-targeted contrast agents for imaging of the cell-surface receptors for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This probes are based on a single-chain recombinant VEGF expressed with a cysteine-containing tag that allows site-specific labeling with contrast agents for near-infrared fluorescence imaging (NIRF), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET). However, the authors indicates that VEGF-based imaging agents can be readily prepared for NIRF, SPECT or PET imaging of VEGF receptors in angiogenic vasculature. This study demonstrates that VEGF-based imaging agents will be useful for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring and will help to accelerate the development of new angiogenesis-directed drugs and treatments.

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