Publications by authors named "Sepideh Taghizadeh"

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause of irreversible visual impairment in the elderly. The current management of nAMD is limited and involves regular intravitreal administration of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF). However, the effectiveness of these treatments is limited by overlapping and compensatory pathways leading to unresponsiveness to anti-VEGF treatments in a significant portion of nAMD patients.

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Gene therapy for the treatment of ocular neovascularization has reached clinical trial phases. The AAV2-sFLT01 construct was already evaluated in a phase 1 open-label trial administered intravitreally to patients with advanced neovascular age-related macular degeneration. SFLT01 protein functions by binding to VEGF and PlGF molecules and inhibiting their activities simultaneously.

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Angiogenesis, inflammation and endothelial cells' migration and proliferation exert fundamental roles in different diseases. However, more studies are needed to identify key proteins and pathways involved in these processes. Aflibercept has received the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of wet AMD and colorectal cancer.

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Background: About 90% of cancer-related deaths are due to metastasis of cancer cells, and angiogenesis is a critical step in this process. sFLT01 is a novel fusion protein and a dual-targeting agent that neutralizes both VEGF and PlGF proangiogenic activities. GRP78 dual effect in tumor growth and angiogenesis could be activated under VEGF stimulation.

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Article Synopsis
  • In retinal degenerative disorders, cell transplantation is a promising therapy, and optogenetic technology aids in differentiating stem cells into neural retinal cells.
  • Researchers studied the effects of blue light stimulation on mouse retinal pigment epithelium (mRPE) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) engineered to express Opto-mGluR6.
  • Results showed that blue light increased cell growth, triggered neural differentiation in both cell types, and led to the expression of retinal-specific neuron markers, with mRPE cells exhibiting more mature differentiation than BMSCs.
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