Vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1 and 2 (VEGFR1 and VEGFR2) are related family members of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family of membrane receptor tyrosine kinases. They are key regulators of physiological angiogenesis during fundamental developmental processes such as embryogenesis, skeletal growth, and reproductive functions. Specifically, VEGF and its high-affinity binding receptors are thought to be important for the development of the embryonic vasculature. The VEGF-kinase ligand/receptor signaling system plays a key role in vascular development and regulation of vascular permeability. The VEGF signaling pathway has been heavily implicated in situations of pathological angiogenesis like those found with tumors, intraocular neovascular disorders, and other conditions
The VEGF antibody has been extensively used to characterize, dissect, and gain an in-depth understanding of multiple tumorigenic pathways in a vast array of tumor-specific models. A solid and recent review of the large amount of scientific work relying upon VEGF antibody to understand VEGF’s role in tumor angiogenesis, as well potential avenues for promising therapeutic targets was done by Claesson-Welsh in 2013 (1). Taira, et. al. published a review of papers and clinical trials on anti-VEGF therapy in lung cancer that also highlights use of the VEGF antibody (2). Interesting results using VEGF antibody have been emerging that appear to link VEGF to immunoregulation in both normal thymus and thymomas and suggest new functions and roles in tissues such as the thymus (3). The VEGF antibody is also helping to develop promising clinically relevant animal models for ependymoma, a common childhood malignant brain tumor that currently has limited in vitro and in vivo models (4).
