Heparin-Binding VEGFR1 Variants As Long-Acting VEGF Inhibitors for Treatment of Intraocular Neovascular Disorders
Heparin-binding VEGFR1 variants as long-acting VEGF inhibitors for treatment of intraocular neovascular disorders Hong Xina, Nilima Biswasa, Pin Lia, Cuiling Zhonga, Tamara C. Chanb, Eric Nudlemanb, and Napoleone Ferraraa,b,1 aDepartment of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093; and bDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 Contributed by Napoleone Ferrara, April 20, 2021 (sent for review December 4, 2019; reviewed by Jayakrishna Ambati and Lois E. H. Smith) Neovascularization is a key feature of ischemic retinal diseases and VEGF inhibitors have become a standard of therapy in mul- the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), all lead- tiple tumors and have transformed the treatment of intraocular ing causes of severe vision loss. Vascular endothelial growth factor neovascular disorders such as the neovascular form of age-related (VEGF) inhibitors have transformed the treatment of these disor- macular degeneration (AMD), proliferative diabetic retinopathy, ders. Millions of patients have been treated with these drugs and retinal vein occlusion, which are leading causes of severe vision worldwide. However, in real-life clinical settings, many patients loss and legal blindness (3, 5, 18). Currently, three anti-VEGF drugs do not experience the same degree of benefit observed in clinical are widely used in the United States for ophthalmological indica- trials, in part because they receive fewer anti-VEGF injections. tions: bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and aflibercept (3). Bevacizumab Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover and identify novel is a full-length IgG antibody targeting VEGF (19). Even though long-acting VEGF inhibitors.
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