p>VEGF, a protein that mediates blood vessel growth, is a common target of therapies that are directed at controlling vascular abnormalities in cancer and eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.
VEGF's role in development is well established, but its role in the adult eye isn't well understood. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Martin Friedlander and colleagues at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California found that removing VEGF from the retinas of adult mice induced vision loss and disrupted blood flow to the outer retina and photoreceptor cells.
These results demonstrate that VEGF is necessary for retinal function and suggest that direct targeting of VEGF could cause more side effects than other proteins that modulate blood vessels in the eye.
In a companion article, Susan Quaggin of the Samuel Lunenfield Research Institute in Toronto discusses how this research will impact the use of anti-VEGF therapy in retinal diseases.
TITLE: Targeted deletion of Vegfa in adult mice induces vision loss
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY: Turning a Blind Eye to anti-VEGF Toxicities