Towards high-throughput functional target discovery in angiogenesis research

Angiogenesis is a hallmark of malignancies and other proliferative diseases, and inhibition of this process is considered to be a promising treatment strategy. Classical gene-expression analyses performed during the past decade have generated vast lists of genes associated with disease but have so far yielded only limited novel therapeutic targets for clinical applications. Recently, the focus has shifted from target identification, based on gene-expression analysis, to identification of genes, based on the function of the encoded protein. Disease-target genes can now be identified in a high-throughput fashion based on functional properties that are directly related to the disease phenotype. This new approach significantly shortens the time span for the development of therapeutic applications from the laboratory bench to the hospital bedside.