Intravenous and topical VEGF accelerates compensatory lung growth
Background
In hypoplastic lung diseases, the lungs fail to properly develop. Some examples of these disorders are congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CHD), a rare condition that occurs during fetal development in which a hole in the diaphragm allows abdominal organs to move up into the chest cavity inhibiting the growth of the lungs, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease most often affecting newborns who have been placed on oxygen or a breathing machine which leads to scarred, damaged lungs. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is thought to play a critical role in hypoplastic lung diseases as its absence results in decreased lung maturation, decreased surfactant production, and hypoplasia of blood vessels and alveoli.
Technology Overview
Boston Children’s Hospital researchers have developed an approach to accelerate lung growth with the provision of VEGF that allows for the acceleration of compensatory lung growth. Tests in animal models demonstrated positive results in both size and number of alveoli, meaning that this method may be used as treatment for patients that require rapid lung and alveolar growth as in pulmonary hypoplasia due to CDH and BPD.
Applications
- Enhancing lung growth in conditions where it is compromised, such as:
- Pulmonary hypoplasia
- Congenital diaphragmatic hernia
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- Pneumonectomy
Advantages
- No other known treatments can achieve lung development.
- The treatment can work both topically and intravenously.
Publications
- Dao DT, Nandivada P, Vuong JT, et al. Vascular endothelial growth factor accelerates compensatory lung growth by increasing the alveolar units. Pediatr Res. 2018;83(6):1182-1189. doi:10.1038/pr.2018.41
- Sakurai MK, Lee S, Arsenault DA, et al. Vascular endothelial growth factor accelerates compensatory lung growth after unilateral pneumonectomy. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2007;292(3):L742-L747. doi:10.1152/ajplung.00064.2006
