Method for activating only the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 and uses thereof
AssigneeLudwig Institute for Cancer Research
InventorsMarc Achen, Steven Stacker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for activating only the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 has been created. The method comprises administration of a composition comprising a polypeptide to an animal wherein the composition has the ability to stimulate one or more lymphatic vessel endothelial cells to proliferate, differentiate, migrate, or survive. Methods are also provided to selectively activate a VEGF receptor-3, to screen for neoplastic disease characterized by an increase in lymph vessel endothelial cells, and to identify lymph vessel endothelial cells.
Claims8
A method for stimulating proliferation and/or maintaining of only lymph vessel endothelial cells, in an animal in need of such treatment, comprising:
- administering to said cells an effective amount of a composition comprising a polypeptide having at least a 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
- 2 or SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6 or a fragment thereof which has the ability to only stimulate one or more of lymphatic vessel endothelial cells to proliferate, differentiate, migrate or survive.
A method for activating only a VEGF receptor-3, comprising:
- administering to a cell bearing said receptor an effective amount of a composition comprising a polypeptide having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
- 2 or SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6 or a fragment thereof.
A method for screening for a neoplastic disease in an animal suspected of being in a neoplastic disease state characterized by an increase in lymph vessel endothelial cells, comprising:
- obtaining a sample from said animal;
- exposing said sample to a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least a 90% identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
- 2 or SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6 or a fragment thereof;
- washing said sample;
- and
- screening for said disease by detecting the presence, quantity or distribution of VEGF receptor-3 in said sample, where detection of an increase in expression of VEGF receptor-3 in or on lymph vessel endothelial cells in or around a potential neoplastic growth is indicative of a neoplastic disease.
A method of identifying only lymph vessel cells, comprising:
- obtaining a sample from an organism;
- exposing said sample to a polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least a 90% identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
- 2 or SEQ ID NO:
- 4 or SEQ ID NO:
- 6 or a fragment thereof;
- washing said sample;
- and
- detecting binding of said polypeptide to said receptor by any suitable means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.