What is anti-vegf?
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a molecule produced by the body when it requires the formation of new blood vessels. VEGF production is essential for many normal physiological processes, including the growth of blood vessels in the fetal stages, during healing of injuries or for the growth of new blood vessels in tissues that have a lack of blood. VEGF also contributes to pathological processes in the body, such as blood development in tumors that allows the growth and spread of tumor, or the formation of new blood vessels in the eye, which can eventually lead to loss of vision, also known as wet macular degeneration. The aim of anti-VEGF therapy will therefore prevent this abnormal production of blood vessels by blocking the vegf action.
There are two widely available anti-VEGF therapy. The commercially produced antibody is a molecule generated against a specific peptide. In general, these antibodies specifically bind to the peptide of interest and prevent its specifications of the action. Several of these antibodies are well known, including bevacizumab or avastin and ranibizumab notBo Lucentis.
The second type of anti-VEGF therapy includes molecules that inhibit the activation of compounds that are downstream from the vegf in the physiological track inducting blood vessels. Inhibition of these compounds can be blocked by VEGF signals. Both of these therapies can be used to inhibit tumor metastases or slow the growth of tumor or to slow down the progression of wet macular degeneration.
tumors or solid cancer can only grow to a certain point than require blood supply. If these tumors require blood supply, some cancer cells may start to secrete vegf into the tumor environment, creating new blood vessels. In these types of tumors, anti-vegf therapy may contain tumor size and may prevent it from spreading. Unfortunately, at some point, tumors are often able to start growing again in the presence of anti-vegf therapy, and therefore the effect of this therapy is not always long-term.
forEven wet macular degeneration can grow blood vessels into a normally clear cornea and retina to loss of vision. This condition can be treated or at least slowed, with anti-vegf therapy. To treat this condition, the anti-vegf molecule must often be injected into the eye and these injections are usually required monthly. Immediate side effects associated with this therapy are caused by injection rather than treatment and often include pain at the injection site and the risk of infection.
Long-term side effects of anti-VEGF therapy are not quite clear because the drugs are relatively new. These side effects are expected to include adverse effects from the lack of vegf signaling, such as slow or poor wound healing or problems with the growth of the new blood vessels to replace the blocked areas. For most people, however, any such side effects are worth a risk when they face blindness or rapidly growing tumor.