Protein / target

Vascular endothelial growth factor A, long form

VEGFAP15692Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
8
Approved medicines
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 binding

Primary system

Cardiovascular system

Strongest disease association

diabetic retinopathy

Genetic literature evidence · score 0.61

Therapeutic maturity

Clinically validated target

8 approved medicines against this target

Druggability

Small molecule

Open Targets tractability · Structure with Ligand

Clinical development

8 approved · 6 in clinical development

30 linked trials

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function

Participates in the induction of key genes involved in the response to hypoxia and in the induction of angiogenesis such as HIF1A (PubMed:35455969). Involved in protecting cells from hypoxia-mediated cell death (By similarity)

Subcellular location

CytoplasmNucleusSecretedEndoplasmic reticulumGolgi apparatusSecreted, extracellular space, extracellular matrix
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (127)

Gene Ontology

  • Cadherens junction
  • Ccell surface
  • Ccytoplasm
  • Cendoplasmic reticulum
  • Cextracellular matrix
  • Cextracellular region
  • Cextracellular space
  • CGolgi apparatus
  • Cmembrane
  • Cnucleus
  • Cplatelet alpha granule lumen
  • Csecretory granule

395 aa · 44 kDa · 17 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Immune signallingGO · ReactomeCell adhesionUniProt · GOTranscriptional regulationGO · ReactomeHaemostasisGO · ReactomeKinase signallingGOG protein-coupled signallingGO
View supporting evidence

Immune signalling

  • ·cytokine activity
  • ·positive regulation of mast cell chemotaxis
  • ·positive regulation of trophoblast cell migration
  • ·Interleukin-4 and Interleukin-13 signaling

Cell adhesion

  • ·Secreted, extracellular space, extracellular matrix
  • ·extracellular matrix
  • ·extracellular matrix binding
  • ·negative regulation of cell-cell adhesion mediated by cadherin

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·negative regulation of gene expression
  • ·negative regulation of miRNA transcription
  • ·negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II
  • ·positive regulation of gene expression

Haemostasis

  • ·platelet alpha granule lumen
  • ·platelet-derived growth factor receptor binding
  • ·positive regulation of cell proliferation by VEGF-activated platelet derived growth fact…
  • ·Platelet degranulation

Kinase signalling

  • ·positive regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signal transduction
  • ·positive regulation of protein autophosphorylation
  • ·positive regulation of protein phosphorylation

G protein-coupled signalling

  • ·phospholipase C-activating G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway
View underlying pathways (10)

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Drugs targeting this protein

2

Whether each drug engages this protein directly or through a complex, and how many other targets are recorded for it. Direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

aflibercept
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Vascular endothelial growth factor A inhibitor

Appears in clinical studies involving macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion, colorectal cancer, choroidal neovascularization

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 2 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

faricimab
Narrow target profileApprovedInhibitor

Vascular endothelial growth factor A inhibitor

Appears in clinical studies involving diabetic macular edema, wet macular degeneration, macular retinal edema, wet macular degeneration

Direct interaction with this protein · 1 of 2 recorded protein targets — narrow recorded profile

ChEMBL mechanism, action type and target identity. Open Targets clinical status and indications.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically — disease associations, drugs in development, tractability and safety, from Open Targets.

Strongest genetic associations

Human genetic evidence — the most direct causal link between this target and a disease.

diabetic retinopathy0.61

Genetic literature · overall 0.68

wet macular degeneration0.07

Genetic · overall 0.63

breast cancer0.06

Genetic · overall 0.62

Highest-confidence therapeutic associations

Diseases where a drug acting on this target has already reached clinical development.

macular retinal edema0.99

Clinical · overall 0.62

diabetic macular edema0.99

Clinical · overall 0.61

choroidal neovascularization0.98

Clinical · overall 0.61

non-small cell lung carcinoma0.98

Clinical · overall 0.63

colorectal cancer0.98

Clinical · overall 0.62

Highest overall evidence

Remaining associations by Open Targets' aggregated evidence score.

renal cell carcinoma0.62

Literature

cervical cancer0.61

Clinical

Show all associations
diabetic retinopathy0.68
non-small cell lung carcinoma0.63
wet macular degeneration0.63
macular retinal edema0.62
colorectal cancer0.62
breast cancer0.62
renal cell carcinoma0.62
cervical cancer0.61
diabetic macular edema0.61
choroidal neovascularization0.61

Open Targets ranks 6,064 associations for this target and we store the top 10 by aggregated score. The long tail is largely literature co-mention and RNA-expression evidence, not evidence that this target drives those diseases.

Known drugs · 14 total

BEVACIZUMAB GAMMAApproval

wet macular degeneration

FARICIMABApproval

diabetic macular edema · wet macular degeneration · macular retinal edema

PEGAPTANIB OCTASODIUMPhase 3

age-related macular degeneration

VANUCIZUMABPhase 2

colorectal cancer · metastatic colorectal cancer · hepatocellular carcinoma

MUPARFOSTATPhase 3

hepatocellular carcinoma · liver cancer · prostate cancer

RANIBIZUMABApproval

macular degeneration · hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia · macular retinal edema

BEVACIZUMABApproval

colorectal cancer · non-small cell squamous lung carcinoma · breast cancer

PEGAPTANIB SODIUMApproval

wet macular degeneration · macular degeneration · wet macular degeneration

ABICIPAR PEGOLApproval

ocular vascular disorder · age-related macular degeneration · wet macular degeneration

AFLIBERCEPTApproval

macular degeneration · retinal vein occlusion · colorectal cancer

Tractability

SM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · Med-Quality PocketAB · Approved DrugAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt loc med confPR · Small Molecule BinderOC · Approved Drug

Safety liabilities

hand-foot syndromegastrointestinal toxicitygrade 3 hypertensionIncrease, Early Life Stage Mortalityincrease in systolic blood pressure and grade 3 hypertension

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein.

Show remaining trials (24)

COMPLETED · via aflibercept · NCT02441816

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

Forefront confidence

Synthesis

Our own weighting of the evidence behind each disease association. Human genetics and clinical evidence count for most; literature co-mention counts for little, because two entities sharing an abstract is not evidence that one drives the other.

diabetic retinopathyWell supported
0.87
agreement 0.750.98
Clinical56%Genetic literature38%Literature6%Geneticdup

Open Targets aggregate 0.68 · 3 independent evidence families · 1 not counted as duplicate

wet macular degenerationWell supported
0.78
agreement 0.680.89
Clinical82%Literature10%Genetic8%

Open Targets aggregate 0.63 · 3 independent evidence families

breast cancerWell supported
0.78
agreement 0.670.89
Clinical78%Literature16%Genetic6%

Open Targets aggregate 0.62 · 3 independent evidence families

non-small cell lung carcinomaWell supported
0.78
agreement 0.620.93
Clinical83%Literature17%

Open Targets aggregate 0.63 · 2 independent evidence families

colorectal cancerWell supported
0.77
agreement 0.640.91
Clinical83%Literature16%RNA expression1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.62 · 3 independent evidence families

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the underlying per-type scores are shown above so the calculation can be checked.

What's happening now

26

Recent activity around this target, drawn from one canonical event stream. Every item is reached through 2 drugs that target this protein, so each event is news about that drug rather than about the protein directly.

  1. Clinical trial activity2026-06-23
    Ollin hauls in $330M to enlist Vabysmo challenger in phase 3 eye disease gauntlet

    Fierce Biotech · news · via faricimab

  2. New publication2026-02-26
    Aqueous Humor Biomarkers, Efficacy, and Safety in Patients with Naïve Diabetic Macular Edema Treated with Faricimab: The ALTIMETER Study.

    Ophthalmology science · 2026 · Europe PMC · via faricimab

  3. New publication2026-01-12
    Four-Year Outcomes of Faricimab in Diabetic Macular Edema: Results from the RHONE-X Extension Trial.

    Ophthalmology · 2026 · 1 citation · Europe PMC · via faricimab

  4. Regulatory approval2025-09-15

    Approval: Eyluxvi (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via aflibercept

  5. Regulatory approval2025-08-18

    Approval: Mynzepli (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via aflibercept

  6. Regulatory approval2025-08-18

    Approval: Afiveg (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via aflibercept

  7. Regulatory approval2025-08-14

    Approval: Vgenfli (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via aflibercept

  8. Regulatory approval2025-08-14

    Approval: Eiyzey (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via aflibercept

  9. Regulatory approval2025-02-12

    Approval: Eydenzelt (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via aflibercept

  10. Regulatory approval2025-01-13

    Approval: Baiama (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via aflibercept

  11. Regulatory approval2025-01-13

    Approval: Ahzantive (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via aflibercept

  12. Regulatory approval2024-11-13

    Approval: Afqlir (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via aflibercept

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.