We are investigating how the vesicular transport of VEGF receptors controls VEGF-mediated angiogenesis and the response of tumours to angiogenesis inhibitors.

The pro-angiogenic ligand, vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF), promotes angiogenesis by signalling through VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2). Work from several laboratories, including our own, suggests that the intracellular trafficking of VEGFR2 regulates angiogenesis. However, the relationship between receptor trafficking, receptor signalling and the process of VEGF-mediated angiogenesis is still poorly understood. Moreover, our recent work suggests that the intracellular trafficking of VEGFR2 plays a key role in the response to angiogenesis inhibitors (Reynolds et al., 2009). We are using a number of biochemical approaches to elucidate the relationship between VEGFR2 trafficking and the process of VEGF-mediated tumour angiogenesis. This work will assist in the design of more effective anti-angiogenic therapies.