A dimer peptide ligand of vascular endothelial growth factor slows the progression of human gastric tumors in mouse xenografts

Gastric cancer is among the most common cancers and represents a major public health problem worldwide. New therapeutic strategies and drugs are needed. Anti-angiogenic agents targeting the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) are used in combination therapy in the clinic, although their efficacy remains modest. We believe that these large anti-VEGF antibodies could be advantageously replaced by smaller peptides with better tissue penetration. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of a previously described dimer peptide ligand of VEGF, D6, in inhibiting the proliferation of gastric cancer cells and the growth of the corresponding murine xenograft. The activity of the D6 peptide in these assays was comparable to that of bevacizumab, the positive control antibody, although the peptide required repeated injections at higher molar concentrations. These promising results justify the continued optimization of the peptide dimer, currently under investigation in our laboratory.