Open Access

REVIEW

VEGF-A: a critical regulator of blood vessel growth

Napoleone Ferrara

Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, USA

* Corresponding Author: N. Ferrara,

European Cytokine Network 2009, 20(4), 158-163. https://doi.org/10.1684/ecn.2009.0170

Accepted 12 June 2009;

Abstract

Angiogenesis is required for a variety of normal and pathological, proliferative processes. Numer-ous regulators of angiogenesis have been identified and characterized over the last decades. Among these, vas-cular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A appears especially important in normal development and in disease processes. Several VEGF inhibitors have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of tumors or the neovas-cular form of age-related macular degeneration. This article examines the molecular and biological characteris-tics of VEGF and also discusses preclinical and clinical studies with VEGF inhibitors and the lessons learned from these studies.

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