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Chronic DLL4 blockade induces vascular neoplasms

Abstract

Arising from: J. Ridgway et al. Nature 444, 1083–1087 (2006)10.1038/nature05313

Delta-like 4 (DLL4)-mediated Notch signalling has emerged as an attractive target for cancer therapy1,2. However, the potential side effects of blocking this pathway remain uncertain. Here we show that chronic DLL4 blockade causes pathological activation of endothelial cells, disrupts normal organ homeostasis and induces vascular tumours, raising important safety concerns.

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Figure 1: Chronic DLL4 blockade induces liver pathology in multiple species.
Figure 2: Chronic DLL4 blockade induces vascular neoplasms.

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All authors are employees of Genentech, Inc.

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Yan, M., Callahan, C., Beyer, J. et al. Chronic DLL4 blockade induces vascular neoplasms. Nature 463, E6–E7 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08751

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