| Popis: |
Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, occurs during physiological conditions such as wound healing, pregnancy and the menstrual cycle. It is also a fundamental process in pathological conditions such as tumor development, ocular disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis and arthritis. Angiogenesis as a therapeutic target (especially Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) inhibitors) has been heavily pursued in numerous cancer settings with promising results yet fallen short of its expectations. The discovery of the endothelial cell specific Angiopoietin/Tie axis and its role in normal and pathological angiogenesis led to the development of second-generation anti-angiogenic agents. Most of the effort has been to target the pro-angiogenic factor Ang-2 and its receptor Tie2. The present research highlight focuses on a study by D’Amico et al., “Tie1 deletion inhibits tumor growth and improves angiopoietin antagonist therapy” published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, that demonstrates for the first time the therapeutic benefit of targeting the orphan receptor, Tie1, involved in the complex biological axis of the Angiopoietin/Tie2 system in angiogenesis. This study shows tremendous implications for future considerations in anti-angiogenic therapy for cancer and other angiogenesis related diseases. |
