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Professor John Greenwood and Professor Steve Moss' work on antibody LRG1

Research carried out by Professor John Greenwood and Professor Steve Moss for genes showing abnormal expression in affected blood vessels in the eye, led to a host of interesting hits 鈥� and the beginnings of an extensive drug development programme. The initial study led to the identification of LRG1, a potent stimulator of new blood vessel formation. Notably, it seemed to have a more important role in the disorganised blood vessel growth seen in eye disease. Following successful project grant funding from the MRC, these effects turned out to reflect LRG1鈥檚 action on the well-characterised TGF尾 signalling pathway. TGF尾 has been implicated in many cellular processes, and its action is highly context-dependent. LRG1 may be one of many factors influencing its action, tilting it in favour of pathogenic angiogenesis.

Aberrant blood vessel formation is seen in several conditions, including the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, the most common form of blindness in older people, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Angiogenesis is also a target of several cancer therapies, which block the formation of new blood vessels that tumours need to grow.

With translational funding from the MRC and the UCL Technology Fund (UTF), Professor Greenwood and Professor Moss have generated a 鈥榟umanised鈥� LRG1-blocking monoclonal antibody and Fab fragment. The work as an archetypal 鈥榖ench to bedside鈥� project to identify basic mechanisms of disease, to assess the potential to intervene in critical pathways, and to develop targeted interventions. This has the twin benefits of shedding light on critical biological processes 鈥� in this case how new blood vessels are formed 鈥� while also generating potential new therapeutic agents for ophthalmic and cancer indications. Professor Greenwood and Professor Moss have since exploited routes of commercialisation by patenting their work with the help UCLB and have recently formed a spin-out company, PanAngium Therapeutics, with funding from the UTF to translate these products to clinical benefit.