While anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs are the go-to therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with choroidal neovascularization (CNV), a recent study has found that neutralizing the novel and highly disease-selective angiogenic factor secretogranin III (Scg3) can alleviate some forms of CNV.

Scg3-neutralizing antibodies are known to alleviate retinal neovascularization in oxygen-induced retinopathy and retinal vascular leakage, having previously shown high efficacy and disease selectivity. So, researchers explored Scg3 as a potential novel target for CNV therapy in mouse models. They found that an anti-Scg3 antibody inhibited Scg3-induced proliferation and protein phosphorylation in human retinal microvascular endothelial cells. Intravitreal injection of anti-Scg3 antibodies reduced laser-induced CNV leakage, CNV 3D volume, lesion area and vessel density.

The researchers proposed that Scg3 could play an important role in CNV pathogenesis, and that the efficacy of anti-Scg3 antibodies was comparable to that of the anti-VEGF agent aflibercept.