Strategies for inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor.

Abstract

Clinical trials increasingly support the premise that inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor is a viable but insufficient target for long-term control of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Additional biologic therapies targeted at very specific steps in the proliferative signaling pathway are being actively sought as alternatives or adjunctive strategies for the treatment of AMD. This rapidly advancing area of drug development is particularly encouraging because of the growing appreciation for the redundancies and interrelationships between the molecular events. The complexity of this signaling pathway supports the development of combination treatments for optimal control of biologic functions.