huVEGFA Mouse

The Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) family is a group of particular endothelial growth factors intimately associated with angiogenesis. These factors promote increased vascular permeability, extracellular matrix degeneration, vascular endothelial cell migration and proliferation, and are capable of stimulating angiogenesis and increasing the permeability of existing vessels. As such, they play a pivotal role in normal vascular development and wound healing. The VEGF family comprises VEGFA, VEGFB, VEGFC, VEGFD, VEGFE, and PLGF ^[1]. Of these, VEGFA is the most commonly targeted in research related to neovascular ophthalmic diseases due to its crucial role in the proliferation, migration, and formation of endothelial cell microvessels ^[2]. Overexpression of VEGFA in the eye can result in abnormal vascular growth and leakage, leading to various ophthalmic diseases such as Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), and corneal neovascularization ^[2-3]. The progression of solid tumors depends on vascularization and angiogenesis within malignant tissues, with VEGFA playing a crucial role among various pro-angiogenic factors. The VEGFA gene is upregulated in many known tumors, correlating with tumor staging and progression. Blocking VEGFA may lead to vascular network regression, thereby inhibiting tumor growth^[4]. Thus, VEGFA is an important target for anti-angiogenic cancer therapies.

The huVEGFA mice were generated by replacing the mouse Vegfa gene sequence with the human VEGFA gene sequence, including the non-coding 3’ UTR region. This model expresses the human VEGFA protein. huVEGFA mice can be used for mechanistic studies and efficacy evaluations of ophthalmic diseases such as Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), and corneal neovascularization, as well as for tumor development and cancer drug research.