Contrast Agent for Detecting Angiogenesis

A new, innovative targeted contrast agent, VEGF/Cy, has been designed for in vivo imaging of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR).

VEGFR receptors are important molecular markers of angiogenesis, a process of developing new blood vessels in cancer and many other diseases. Angiogenesis is a target of research efforts with the majority of experimental therapeutic drugs targeting VEGF receptors. Because VEGF/Cy selectively binds to VEGFR, imaging with this agent visualizes growing blood vessels and their response to various treatments. Therefore, VEGF/Cy is a powerful tool for developing new therapeutics.

VEGF/Cy, developed by SibTech, Inc. (Newington, CT, USA), is the first commercially available targeted contrast agent for in vivo VEGFR imaging. It is based on a proprietary single chain VEGF protein, expressed with a cysteine-containing tag designed for non-destructive, site-specific modification. VEGF/Cy was created by labeling this tag with the near- infrared fluorescent Cy5.5 dye, which is used under a licensing agreement with GE Healthcare (Waukesha, WI, USA). The in vivo imaging efficacy of VEGF/Cy has been confirmed in several animal models, with research data presented at recent scientific meetings.

VEGF/Cy is extremely stable, and its emission spectrum is suitable for imaging with all near-infrared imaging systems available on the market. "We are excited about the opportunities that VEGF/Cy will create for the research community,” stated Joseph Backer, co-founder and CEO of SibTech. "We believe it will help track responses of tumor vasculature to experimental therapeutics in animal models, and accelerate their clinical development. We are working on developing novel VEGF-driven imaging and therapeutic conjugates for clinical use.”




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