Newly Discovered Protein Blocks Tumor Growth

Investigators have discovered that a form of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) present in normal blood and tissue can prevent tumor growth.

A team of scientists at Bristol University (UK) has called the new type of factor VEGF165b, which was found to inhibit the growth of new blood vessels required for tumors to grow greater than 1 mm. The scientists have also found that VEGF is usually found in many areas of the body, including the prostate, but not in prostate tumors, and have figured out how this form of VEGF works with blood vessels.

Knowing how VEGF165b functions, and its effects on tumors, means that it could be possible to prevent the growth of tumors by starving the tumor using the body's own antitumor agent. The benefits of using this protein over conventional compounds to treat cancer is that VEGF156b is a natural protein made by the body under normal conditions. Many new cancer treatments are based on depriving the tumor of nutrients by attacking the blood supply of the tumor rather than the cancer cells. Blocking VEGF using antibodies has recently been demonstrated to be effective in large-scale trials with colorectal cancer patients in the United States.

One problem with this therapy will be that new blood vessel growth is needed for many body processes. However, it is believed that adults can live normally without blood vessel growth for extended time periods.

"Now that we have found out that this protein works in living tissues, we need to find the best way of using it in cancer, with tumor models. We also need to try it in models of other diseases where blood vessel growth is necessary, such as diabetes, age-related macular degeneration, and arthritis,” said Dr. David Bates, from Bristol University.

Dr. Steve Harper, another researcher from Bristol University, stated, "After two years of hard work, it is a big step to show that this protein works in real cancers. We hope to be able to take this forward in the next few years to work out how to treat patients with cancer, eye disease, and other conditions where this protein is important.”




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