METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR TREATING PATHOGENIC BLOOD VESSEL DISORDERS

    公开(公告)号:US20210147525A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-05-20

    申请号:US17072952

    申请日:2020-10-16

    IPC分类号: C07K16/18

    摘要: Pathogenic blood vessels are blood vessels that are not involved in the vascularization of normal organs but are in the pathogenic tissues such as the new blood vessels that drive vision diseases or the blood vessels in tumors that tumors depend on to survive. The current disclosure provides an advancement over typical anti-angiogenic strategies that target the generation of new blood vessels by providing compositions and methods that can selectively target and kill existing pathogenic blood vessels. The conventional antiangiogenic drugs or factors inhibit angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels), but cannot effectively kill existing pathogenic blood vessels. Agents, including small molecule compounds and antibodies, have been identified that bind to and activate PLXDC1 and PLXDC2 proteins, leading to effective killing of the endothelial cells in pathogenic blood vessels in vision diseases and in tumors that express these proteins. The disclosure thereby provides a novel modality for eliminating or reducing existing pathogenic blood vessels, thereby treating diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinopathy of prematurity, and cancer.