Angiogenesis inhibitors / VEGF & mTOR inhibitors
Role of VEGF and mTOR in angiogenesis
- a core concept is that increased mTOR activity in cancer cells can lead to secretion of VEGF and PDGF, which promote angiogenesis by increasing mTOR activity in vascular cells
- therefore, blocking both VEGF and mTOR can result in a synergistic kill of cancer cells
- strategies to block VEGF and mTOR are a major focus of drug development