Novel Agents for Imaging Receptors for Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor

Description
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the key regulator of angiogenesis and overexpressed VEGF receptors play the crucial role in the onset and progression of tumor angiogenesis. receptors are the primary targets of tremendous efforts to develop inhibitors of angiogenesis. However, these receptors are not used as biomarkers for prescribing or monitoring anti-angiogenic therapy due to a lack of methods for assessment of their prevalence. This invention provides molecular probes for PET, SPECT, and NIRF imaging VEGF receptors. The probes are based on a novel single-chain VEGF (scVEGF) expressed with a proprietary cysteine-containing tag for site-specific conjugation of contrast agents. VEGF-based probes bind to and internalized by VEGF receptors as effectively as parental VEGF, providing unique opportunities for non-invasive imaging VEGF receptors in vivo. Information on prevalence of VEGF receptors in patients might lead to evidence-based selection of candidates for anti-angiogenic therapy, facilitate design of personalized treatment regiments, enable early diagnostics and discrimination between benign and malignant lesions.
Benefits and Applications
- Clinical development of VEGF based probes for PET imaging will lead to a new diagnostic tool for a wide range of indications
- VEGF-based imaging probes are powerful tools in R&D on drugs affecting vasculature
Intellectual Property Status
Patent Pending (US PTO #20050221431B)
Related Publication
- Mol. Cancer. Ther. 4, 1423-1429, 2005
- Europ. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imag. 33, 841-848, 2006
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